Wednesday, 24 October 2012 14:26

Trees go as Landcorp ups dairy cows

Written by 

SEVERAL HUNDRED hectares of one-year-old pine trees are to be mulched to make way for pasture and then herds of dairy cows. The reason: the low cost of carbon credits and the higher returns from dairying

The development is just out of Taupo on land owned by Wairakei Pastoral and managed by Landcorp. According to Landcorp chief executive Chris Kelly, about 1000ha, including land recently planned in pines, has been laying fallow waiting for clarity on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

Kelly says with the price of carbon being so low, the company has decided to buy overseas credits and convert the land as quickly as possible to pasture for dairying. Landcorp presently manages six dairy farms in the Broadlands area for Wairakei Pastoral.

The initial development will involve converting land which is adjacent to those farms so that the land can be ‘bolted on’ without incurring any additional major capital cost – such as building new dairy sheds. Already bulldozers and other heavy machinery are on the site clearing and chipping stumps, bulldozing small logs into pits and finally mulching the remaining small sticks into the soil in preparation for sowing grass. 

Fescue and ryegrass are used and great care is taken to plant seed at a time when the best strike can be achieved. Fescue has a narrow sowing season – between the middle of February and the middle of March – whereas ryegrass has a wider sowing band. 

Landcorp farm business manager Alan Bullick says it can take 12-18 months before cows can graze the pasture and even then care has to be taken not to graze it too hard. “We start off in the first year by running 1.9 cows per ha. The next year we step it up to 2.1 and the following year up 2.3,” he says. 

When the land is fully converted it is excellent dairy land, but Bullick believes there are lessons to be learned from previous conversions. He says taking shortcuts doesn’t work and cash has to be spent at the start to get the land properly prepared; this includes the use of lime and super.

More like this

Go woke!

OPINION: The Hound reckons the powers at Landcorp (or as they/them like to call themselves, Pāmu) are coming under the microscope with the new government in place.

Focus needed

OPINION: The Hound was not surprised to see that Pāmu – better known as state farmer Landcorp – has been told to tidy up its business model and better concentrate on actually farming.

Featured

Dairy sheep and goat turmoil

Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.

Hurry up and slow down!

OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.

Editorial: Passage to India

OPINION: Even before the National-led coalition came into power, India was very much at the fore of its trade agenda.

National

Knowing bugs means fewer drugs

A mastitis management company claims to deliver the fastest and most accurate mastitis testing available at scale for New Zealand…

Machinery & Products

100 years of Farmall Tractors

Returning after an enforced break, the Wheat and Wheels Rally will take place on the Lauriston -Barhill Road, North-East of…

JD unveils its latest beast

John Deere has unveiled its most powerful tractor ever, with the launch of the all new 9RX Series Tractor line-up…

Biggest Quadtrac coming to NZ!

In the biggest announcement that Case IH Australia/New Zealand has made around its tractor range, its biggest tractor is about…

A different shade of blue for Norwood

Norwood and ARGO Tractors, the Italian manufacturer of Landini and McCormick tractors, have announced an agreement that gives Norwood exclusive…

Kubota tests diesel engines

Kubota last month used the UK LAMMA Show to test the water with its new 200hp, four-cylinder 09-series diesel engines.

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Why?

OPINION: A mate of yours truly wants to know why the beef schedule differential is now more than 45-50 cents…

Fat to cut

OPINION: Your canine crusader understands that MPI were recently in front of the Parliamentary Primary Sector Select Committee for an…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter