increase font size
Bumper maize crop being harvested on Nacre and Anthony Maiden’s farm in Waikato.
Waikato owner-operated farmers Nacre and Anthony Maiden says the “stars aligned” this year to give them a particularly bumper maize crop despite the drought and their sandy loam soils.
However being flexible with their planting timing, good communication and use of their Herd Homes effluent all helped with their maize crop.
“We were impressed with their maize this year considering the soils we farm,” Nacre told Dairy News.
“On other farms we have farmed with peat soil we would get a better crop.
“But for our current soil type, this is the best crop we have ever had. In this particular season that is impressive because there have been a lot of poor crops around, particularly in the Waikato.
“It has been dry, many crops didn’t get rain when needed and there have been some disappointing yields around so we were pleased to have a record year for us this season.
“It is often stressed about getting the maize in the ground early but this year we got it in a bit later because of the weather.
“So one of our take outs would be don’t stress about getting it in early. If the weather is poor it is probably best to hold off. We have had other years when we have planted early to hit that target date and had to replant the paddock because it was too wet and the seed rotted.
“Another take out was good use of our Herd Home effluent to help grow our maize crop.”
That is their usual practice but this year “the stars aligned”.
“We have just been particular fortunate for everything to align well between the weather and getting the effluent on when we did. It is a challenge. You are coming towards maize planting time and on a lot of farms you have spring cows that are finishing calving or are starting mating so people are tired and worn out before you start the cropping process.
“It is easy for things to get overlooked or to be too busy to get things done in a timely manner and you rely too much on other people to get things done for you. We had a particularly good well organised run of communicating well with the contractors and being firm with them if it is too wet.
“It was a good combination of being well organised, good communication and having those stars align.”
Their cow housing is authentic Herd Homes brand with a clear plastic roof, slatted floor and effluent collected underneath.
In New Zealand, every dairy farmer worth their salt knows just how important it is to look after the welfare of their animals. The health of the herd directly impacts profit margins, which, in turn, determines the viability and sustainability of the farm.
It's been a bumper season for maize and other supplements in the eastern Bay of Plenty.
Coming into autumn, maize and summer crops have been harvested/ grazed and farmers are planting their next crop or establishing new permanent pasture.
As the season draws to an end for spring calving systems, increased attention and planning should be focused on next season.
Adapting to future consumer and environmental requirements while retaining profitability will be one of the key talking points at the Foundation for Arable Research's 2024 maize conference.
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.
OPINION: Scientists claim to have found a new way to make a substitute for cow's milk that could have a…
OPINION: The Irish have come up with a novel way to measure cow belching, which is said to account for…
