Manawatu agricultural contractor Mike Hancock is helping to feed some of the world’s most stunning and endangered animals.

About this time of the year, we always seem to get calls from merchants and farmers asking several versions of the same question: “Is it too late to plant maize silage in November?” 

Most losses that occur when you make silage are invisible, but they can be up to 40% of the original cut pasture. 

High-quality silage is a stable feed made from high-quality pasture.

Making high-quality pasture silage should not be difficult, but it must be viewed as a supplementary feed, rather than just a necessity to manage pasture. 

Making silage is a balance: when a paddock is closed, yield increases but quality declines.

At this stage of the season, levels of Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF) rise very rapidly in typical NZ pastures as ryegrass starts to form seed head.

Many regions are experiencing an early spring. The collective sigh of relief is almost audible as we exit a winter and spring very different from last season.  

The old policy of filling gaps with PKE from September comes with its very own headache this season – the FEI issue. 

Wintering cows on crops is a common strategy to help keep them in good condition, but it may result in them getting sick.