ANAWAI STATION. Hawkes Bay Monitor Farm Personnel Involved

Transcription

1 ANAWAI STATION Hawkes Bay Monitor Farm Personnel Involved Monitor Farm Owner: Monitor Farm Managers: Stock managers: Fencer General: Chairman: Management Group: Beef & Lamb: Programme Coordinators: Community group Craig and Penny Hickson Colin and Denise Davis Matt Cook, John Hallgarth Rodger Waihua Michael Hindmarsh Hugh Pearse, Ian Walker, Richard Hilson, Rob Buddo, Chris Chesterman, Charles Pattison, Nick Hume Mark Harris Ben Harker AgFirst Phil Tither AgFirst Programme Sponsors 1

2 Mission Continuously improve in all aspects of our farming enterprise" Goals Improve productive and financial performance to target a gross farm income of $1000/ha and total production of 270kg/ha Simplification Create structure and systemise the property with a planned approach to grazing, animal health and integration o Create a grazing plan that is simple and systemised, with the necessary infrastructure, that will: Reduce the need for impromptu grazing planning avoiding compromise to integration, animal health and pasture rules Free more valuable planning time for management Be user friendly for all staff Utilisation Consistently achieve pasture utilisation within the optimum range Integration of stock classes Planned approach to implementing 50:25:25 split o Ensure young stock of each stock class (sheep, beef and deer) are not run on the same country in consecutive years. o Cows and ewes integrated together o Hind country rotated through ewe country Increase area and performance of forage systems 2

3 Anawai overview 1390 Effective Hectares 220 Hectares Purchased 2012 Maraetotora platform Hill/Face Country Elsthorpe platform 450 Hectares 500 Hectares 440 Hectares Easy to moderate hill High rainfall (annual rainfall 2032mm) Steep hill Moderate rainfall rainfall 1016mm) Free draining soils Maraetotora light silt loam PH 6.4 Olsen P 16 Heavy soils prone to slipping Kidnappers silt loam PH 5.6 ( ) Olsen P 18 (15-21) Easy to moderate hill Low summer rainfall (annual Heavy soils Atua light silt loam (clay and heavy loam over light silt loam) PH 6.1 ( ) Olsen P 27 (24-29) Sheep 5250 Commercial breeding ewes Finishing all progeny Hoggets mated Ram out 1 st April, lambing 9 th September 560 Out of season lambing ewes embarking on a 5 Star lambing programme (lambing five times in three years) Beef 290 Angus breeding cows (increased by 180 in 2012) Finishing progeny at weaning supplying the Anawai Rose Veal market. Calving 10 th October 550 weaner bulls (recently introduced) carried through one winter Targeting 40% finished at 18-20months Deer 1200 Red Breeding Hinds Finishing all progeny Typically wintered on a self fed silage pad Stag introduced 13 th March, fawning in late October Farm performance Projected Target Paddock numbers Average paddock size ha &12ha Standardised stocking rate su/effective ha liveweight wintered/ effective ha Sheep:Cattle:Deer % of feed demand 62:20:18 64:15:21 52:26:22 50:25:25 % of income 58:07:20 63:07:21 43:26:31 47:23:29 Kg product/ha Conversion efficiency (kgdm eaten/kg product produced) Potential pasture production (tdm/ha) Pasture losses 18% 30% 33% 15-22% Total Supply (tdm/ha) Total Demand (tdm/ha)

4 Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Pasture cover (kgdm/ha) Pasture growth (kgdm/ha/day) Average Pasture covers Average Pasture growth rates Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May June Target 10/11 11/12 12/13* Plan 10/11 11/12 12/13* Specialist Forages Lucerne, Plantain, Swedes, Kale, Annual rye Lucerne Lucerne is stocked with multiple bearing ewes (15/ha) followed by all finishing lambs (25/ha) then all weaner deer (19/ha) Total area in Lucerne 91ha Grazing Plan Target area in Lucerne 108ha 6 paddock systems Cultivar used Toulese Spring 1 st round Begin grazing pre 1500kgDM/ha (20cm) Oldest stand 7yrs 6 day shifts, 35d rotation (30d recovery) Begin renewal rotation nd round onwards 7 day shifts, 42d rotation (35 d recovery) Following the longest day Increase for one rotation of 8 day shifts 48d round (40d recovery) 2012 Performance on lucerne In the 2011/2012 our lucerne stands produced 18% more dry matter than existing pastures. From October through to the end of January this season lucerne has produced 24% more dry matter than the existing pastures. The 2012 spring had lucerne initially stocked with a random selection of 860 twin bearing ewes on the 23rd of September. This was topped up with a further 245 on the 6th of November. 4

5 Tally Average pre wean lamb liveweight gain to weaning Lucerne fed 355g/day Grass fed 225g/day (Includes singles) % Lambs killed at weaning 66% 19% First draft DO% 48.8% 46.8% Second draft DO% 47.3% 44.3% Stocking rate Initial 12 twin bearing ewes/ha Topped up to 15 twin bearing ewes/ha 9.5 twin bearing ewes/ha Condition score comparison 4/12/ Condition Score The difference in body condition score at weaning of ewes is demonstrated in the graph to the left. Grass Fed Twin Bearing Ewes Lucerne Ewes Plantain 64ha to be sown. 24ha will be sown this autumn with a further 48ha next autumn. Targeting three 24ha six paddock systems (allowing good control on rotation lengths while minimising grazing period for good forage persistence and quality control). Two to be utilised for hogget s and one for one of three out of season ewe mobs. Winter crop 34ha per year of Swedes is planned (as a part of an ongoing regrassing programme on the Maraetotora platform). Utilised from May to August for all R1and R2 hinds and all R1 finishing stags. 16.9ha of Swedes was sown in 2012 along with 28.7ha of Kale (as part of the lucerne establishment programme) Annual Rye 24ha sown per year and utilised for one of three out of season ewe lambing mobs in the longer term. (this is part of a rotation and replacement programme for plantain) 48ha will be sown this autumn to be followed by plantain the following autumn. 5

6 Systemised grazing plan and infrastructure development The grazing and corresponding infrastructure plan was developed to help achieve the key goals of simplification, utilisation and integration. Objectives of the Anawai grazing plan To ensure we have the best opportunity to achieve our winter rotation lengths. Therefore meeting our late winter/early spring targets and optimising utilisation. To optimise control on pasture quality and therefore maximise pasture production. Simplify the system to reduce reliance on planning, opening up more time to get other critical decisions right. Improve Integration of stock classes for animal health purposes. Outcomes of the Anawai grazing plan Each mob is allocated a system, a defined area. Systems are in multiples of 4 hectares for uniformity and therefore simple yearly interchanging with minimal planning Young stock of the same enterprise (cattle, sheep and deer) are never grazing the same area in two consecutive years. 50% of deer country is rotated with integrated MA ewe and cow mobs All stock are on 3.5 day shifts to avoid weekend shifts and for simplicity 84 day winter rotations for finishing and young stock to fit with better country winter growth 98 day winter rotations for adult breeding stock to fit with hill country winter growth A range of further rotation length options with the ability to further subdivide efficiently, combine or divide systems and adjust grazing periods. How it looks For the Hill/Face country we have targeted a 12ha average paddock size. Paddocks and system size are a multiple of four ensuring flexibility, fit and alignment with our more intensive systems. This area will accommodate the main MA ewe and cow mob (28 paddock system) and MA hinds finishing their autumn grazing rotation before entering a winter silage pad. For the easier Maraetotora and Elsthorpe platforms we have targeted 24ha systems with six 4ha paddocks each with a centralised trough. This will allow: 1) For greatest flexibility in land use and ability to interchange stock classes without re-planning at each shift. 2) Multiple full 24ha systems to be put together to fit with the sheep systems split into mobs sizes to fit. 3) Further temporary subdivision to 1ha cells for cattle finishing systems. With the above subdivision minimal infrastructure is needed to adjust rotation speeds for optimum control on pasture quality. How it works (Like all plans this is by no means a straight jacket) Mob size through winter is relatively set and flexibility comes through 1. Changing break size and therefore rotation speed with temporary wires or through dividing systems. 2. Reducing days per break where necessary when conditions are adverse 3. Using flexibility tools such as trading bulls and tactical Nitrogen to ensure enough feed is in front of each rotation at the beginning and end of winter 4. A balance of country is used for a tail mob 6

7 The Dry Monitoring, Tactics, Recovery Monitoring on Anawai Why Monitor? To make better and more timely decisions Know where we sit now. Predict the outcome at key points in production cycle. Help develop a plan. Take action. The more monitoring we do the more accurate we get. Monitoring is a tool that can be used to build your intuition. Key areas monitored Grass! Quantity and quality of pasture is the biggest driver of our systems. Measure it! Cover levels are recorded monthly at Anawai This has helped build historical data and is helping us to plan the future. Using this information to feed budget we are able to identify a surplus/deficit in the future. Anawai is currently 30% down on supply. We can now use tools to help rectify an imbalance before cover levels begin dropping or drop further. Animal Performance. These measurements are critical to reach our desired performance outcomes. On Anawai we are recording weights and condition scores at critical times. For breeding stock this is prior to mating, mating, pre-lambing and weaning. BCS around mating are critical, recently completed research suggests if 15% of the flock is below a BCS of 3 then lifting these lighter ewes to above a BCS of 3 will give a 45% return. For Finishing Stock this is sample weighing and recording every time a mob is through the yards and recording kill data to calibrate and monitor liveweight gains. This data can be used to set targets and organise selling in advance. Creating a plan around the data Anawai uses FARMAX To budget feed for the whole farm system and optimise the supply/demand fit and predict future surpluses and deficits. To target animal performance To maximise potential whole farm performance. Maximising production and whole farm financial returns. To benchmark actual performance against the plan Monitoring how it has helped proactive decision making on Anawai as the dry developed November cover readings were taken and recorded in Farmax, Pasture growth had been back 30% in October and November so the average growth forecast was dropped accordingly. Under the initial plan Farmax fell out of bed! So we revised the plan and began implementing our changes. The following is an example of what we had seen in December and how we adjusted. Monthly recording of covers, animal performance and stock movements and projecting from that point out has helped management reflect on the plans we had set and adjust accordingly. 7

8 kgdm/ha The graphs show the pasture cover level in dark green with our target cover zone in light green. The blue line is the minimum level of cover we need to achieve the animal performance in the plan, when this line turns red we can no longer achieve our performance targets. Initial Plan end of November Revised Plan end of November This revision process continued monthly We are now tracking as follows with reduced March and April growth Pasture Cover Plot for Anawai Feb 13 - Jan F M A M J J A S O N D J Cover Target Min.(Feasible) Min.(Not Feasible) In February there were two key performance targets not met January pasture growth was back 38% And there was 1000 ewes below BCS 3 Further changes to the plan included: All Cows and Calves left out grazing until Autumn; Bulls on crop tightened up; Priority on ewe and Hind condition for mating; 1000 lower conditioned ewes to be fed Balage; MA Hinds to be fed pit silage; Fawns weaned early; Nitrogen application planned for May. Now maximum supplement is being fed to attempt to hold end of March covers above 1200kgDM/ha. 8

9 Pasture recovery The key to optimising pasture recovery is to conserve leaf area. A good rule of thumb is to keep average farm covers to above 1200kgDM/ha at a minimum. We also need to think about building covers to meet early spring pinch period targets, this target should be at a minimum 1400kgDM/ha to maximise leaf area and as a result maximise early season pasture growth and performance. At this stage there are generally four main tools available to us: 1. Boosting pasture growth through a Nitrogen application. 2. Slowing down stock rotation lengths 3. Using other supplements 4. Further selling of stock Nitrogen The role of Nitrogen in Drought Recovery A flexible approach to nitrogen fertiliser can be a very good way of buffering poor seasons, including below pasture covers as a consequence of drought. Nitrogen fertiliser typically provides the most cost effective way of boosting feed supplies. The table below outlines the current relative costs of creating extra feed using nitrogen versus purchasing supplements. Feed Type Assumptions DM % MJME/kgDM c/kgdm Winter Nitrogen Pasture Equivalent* $900 /tonne of Urea applied at a 12kgDM/kgN response Balage $115 /600kg bale (incl $15 transport) 40% Hay $94 /300kg bale (incl $14 transport) 85% Maize $525/tonne (incl $25 transport) 85% Barley $475/tonne (incl $25 transport) 85% Sheep Nuts $821/ 0.5 tonne bag (incl $25 transport) 94% *These costs are standardised to pasture MJME equivalent (set at a standard 10.6MJME/kgDM) this means we can compare like for like on feed value. MJME per kg of dry matter will often vary greatly in balage. We recommend a quality and dry matter test, results will be back often within the day. Any of these feed cost calculations have assumptions, eg, what is the relative quality of purchased feeds, and for nitrogen the big one is, what is the pasture growth response? There was a very good paper reviewing all of the East Coast trial data on nitrogen responses prepared by Chris Korte who was with AgResearch in Poukawa in the 1990s and he found: o The average nitrogen response in all of the trials was 9.1 kgdm/kgn, but it ranged widely from 0.3 kgdm/kgn to 19.5 kgdm/kgn. o The most reliable responses are June, July and August at 12 kgdm/kgn, and there were variable responses in autumn, unfortunately particularly following dry summers. Variable response occurs because through the drought period mineralised nitrogen builds up in the soil, so in an ideal world we allow the plants to utilise that natural free nitrogen and 9

10 then top this up with additional fertiliser nitrogen to keep those plants actively growing and building new pasture covers. o Typically this would be five or six weeks after the good autumn rains, suggesting this year the months of May through to August would be ideal for nitrogen application on many farms. We are probably going to have a bottleneck in spreading, so maybe it is better to accept a slightly lower response but get it on. The table above suggests we have room to move and still make it pay. Nitrogen will still work in the Hawkes Bay cold. It is true that nitrogen is a growth multiplier and if growth conditions are slow then the responses will be slow. But in practice this means that the nitrogen response is spread out over a longer period of time and, again, referring to Chris Korte s work, those winter responses are solid and consistent, and if we look at colder environments such as southland, they find that autumn applied nitrogen has a carryover response through to the spring. Supplement Feed Requirements The table below shows some broad supplement feed levels required to feed breeding stock. It is important to note that Balage can vary widely in both quality and dry matter content so it is worth testing and adjusting the suggested levels below accordingly. When feeding grain it is important to gradually increase the quantity starting with a small amount to avoid acidosis. A good technique is to introduce on top of some balage, this will help stock take to it. For example feeding barley to ewes, begin with g/hd/day and gradually build up over weeks to g/day. It is important to watch that no individuals are gorging and it is worth removing stock who have not taken to it so feed can be budgeted correctly. Breeding stock daily feed requirements 1000 MA 60kg Daily requirement for maintenance 6 Bales of Hay (300kg) 8 Bales of Hay (300kg) To achieve a rising nutrition plane (50glwt/day) or 6 Bales of Balage 8 Bales of Balage or 300kg of Barley bales of Hay (300kg) or Balage 300kg of Barley + 6 bales of Hay (300kg) or Balage or 300kg of Maize bales of Hay (300kg) or Balage 300kg of Maize + 6 bales of Hay (300kg) or Balage 100 MA 500kg or or 8 Bales of Hay (300kg) 8 Bales of Balage 300kg of Maize bales of Hay (300kg) or Balage 500 MA 95kg 7 Bales of Hay (300kg) 8 Bales of Hay (300kg) or 7 Bales of Balage 8 Bales of Balage or 300kg of Maize + 5 bales of Hay (300kg) or Balage 300kg of Maize + 6 bales of Hay (300kg) or Balage These calculations are assuming no pasture consumption (i.e stock are on a sacrifice paddock), 85% utilisation and MJME/kgDM as per the supplement feed cost table above. 10

11 11

12 Thank you to Progressive Meats, Lean Meats and Ovation for putting on the BBQ and catering Health and Safety The Owners have taken all reasonable care in making you visit to the property as safe as possible. They clearly point out that you enter the property at your own risk. The Owners will accept no responsibility for any incident or injury to any person or property that takes place while you are visiting the property. NOTE: B+LNZ requires all employees to wear helmets on quad bikes, we recommend that farmers wear helmets too. Your decision to not wear a helmet is entirely your responsibility 12