How farmers make spring count

With days lengthening, temperatures rising, and growth kicking into gear, it’s a prime opportunity to optimise animal performance, pasture quality, and nutrient efficiency.

From the conversations we’ve had with our farming community, one thing is clear – spring is about driving efficiency on farm. Whether that’s smarter nutrient planning, fine-tuning animal condition, or capitalising on windows of opportunity, there are some practical ways to put the season to work.

Here are five ways you can make spring count on your farm.

1. Focus on peak animal nutrition

For both dairy and sheep farmers, peak lactation is a critical period. The higher the peak, the longer it can be sustained, and the greater the return across the whole season. In lambing operations, milk remains the most efficient route to weight gain in young stock, making maternal nutrition a top priority.

Spring is also the time to ensure animals are tracking well into mating – well-conditioned stock will support compact calving or lambing patterns and improved herd performance.

2. Targeted fertiliser management

There’s never been a more important time to get nutrient efficiency right. Rising costs, tighter margins, and increasing scrutiny mean that every tonne of fertiliser applied needs to deliver.

Read More:

• Trial shows benefits of spring nitrogen use
• ACC urges safety during spring calving
• Choosing farming over the classroom pays off

That’s where the 4Rs – right product, right rate, right place, and right time – come in. By aligning nutrient applications with actual need, you’re not only optimising spend, you’re also lifting pasture response and reducing environmental loss.

Clover performance is a key focus at this time of year, given its role in fixing nitrogen and lifting feed quality. Clovers are the engine room of the farm. If they’re not performing, it’s often a nutrient issue, and spring is the ideal time to get on top of it.

Tools like herbage testing and digital mapping, such as SpreadWise and SpreadSmart, can help identify gaps and target nutrient application for the best return. If you’re not measuring, you’re guessing. A bit of planning and precision goes a long way.

3. Support for flood-affected farms

While many farmers are charging ahead with spring work, others are still dealing with the aftermath of extreme weather. For those facing siltcovered paddocks, there’s a clear set of guidelines based on extensive post-cyclone research.

For silt levels:

• under 5cm: Treat paddocks as normal
• 5-10cm: Let the soil dry, cultivate, and sow grass/clover mixes.
• 10-25cm: Dry the silt, spread it evenly, and use deep subsoilers.
• over 25cm: Assess sediment type and act accordingly - for moist silt, over-sowing with coated ryegrass may be a short-term solution.

We’ve drawn a lot of insights from trial work post-Cyclone Gabrielle. Whether it’s pastoral land, orchards or horticulture blocks, we’ve seen what works – and we’re here to help farmers apply that knowledge.

4. Look ahead, act early

We’re seeing a clear lift in activity on-farm – and it’s encouraging. Acting early remains key, however. Whether it’s lining up feed for summer, locking in soil testing, or getting nutrient plans in place, planning ahead pays dividends.

We asked farmers recently what “making it count” means to them. Their answers were practical: applying nutrients more strategically, investing in tools that deliver better insights, and setting the farm up early to avoid firefighting later.

These aren’t big changes – they’re smart, everyday decisions that stack up over time.

5. Price stability on key inputs

In a market where input costs are top of mind, Ballance has made the call to hold sales prices on several key products for spring. Price stability matters. It’s also why we’re offering farmers fixed price fertiliser contracts to help provide certainty around input costs. It gives farmers one less thing to worry about heading into a critical part of the year.

Make this spring count

Spring gives farmers a chance to reset – to re-focus on the season ahead and build momentum that lasts. From animal nutrition to nutrient precision, paddock renovation to post-flood recovery, there’s plenty you can do now that will pay off down the line.

On the farm, every decision comes down to the same things – increasing productivity, optimising spend, boosting efficiency, and making the season a good one. If you want to make it count, we’re here to help.

Jason Minkhorst is general manager customer, Ballance Agri-Nutrients