New Zealand
October 9, 2012

The value of high performance pasture will be discussed by farmers at Aber High Sugar Grass Field Days that start next week (Oct 18).

The field days will be held on seven dairy and two sheep and beef farms where AberHSG (high sugar grass) ryegrass pasture has been in the ground for up to nine years.

The first field day is on October 18 at a high-producing dairy farm at Edgecumbe and the final one is at Mt Linton Station in Southland on November 12.

Germinal Seeds NZ Ltd general manager David Kerr, whose company grows and wholesales AberHSG seed, says the field days offer farmers an opportunity to hear and see first-hand why top farmers are planting more Aber high sugar grass.

“Pasture persistence and drymatter yield are key requirements but these farmers are also very aware that a pasture’s feed quality has a huge impact on animal performance,” said Mr Kerr.

A purpose-built AberHSG exhibition trailer will be at each field day, running from 11am to 1.30pm, and farmers attending will be in the draw for $1,000 of AberHSG seed at each event.

Former AgResearch senior scientist Mike O'Connor is a guest speaker at the Edgecumbe and Tokoroa field days and former rural banking manager and people coach David Todd will “join the dots” in setting goals at the Taranaki and Rongotea events.

In the South Island Dr Jock Allison, a former MAF Invermay and AgResearch director, will discuss pasture quality at the Culverden, Methven, Hinds and Tapanui field days.

At Tapanui and Mt Linton Station will be AbacusBio science consultant Jude Sise to explain the on-farm carbon emission software Alliance Group Hoofprint and its potential for assessing the impact of new farm practices such as grazing high sugar grass.

The North Island venues are Edgecumbe on October 18, Tokoroa on October 19, Kaponga on October 24 and Rongotea on October 25.

In the South Island the AberHSG Field Days will be held at Culverden on November 5, Methven on November 6, Hinds on November 7, Tapanui on November 8 and Mt Linton on November 12.

Mr Kerr said Mt Linton Station, one of the largest privately owned sheep and beef stations in the country, has in four years sown AberHSG into more than 1,200 hectares of finishing country so it can grow its 65,000 lambs to target weights more quickly each year and have an earlier build-up of ewe condition prior to lambing.

He said the farms for the field days were selected on the basis of high production and the age of AberHSG pasture to demonstrate its persistence.

“I think the real value for those attending our field days is to hear from the farmers themselves about how they are getting an extra litre of milk per cow per day or have lambs averaging more than 400 grams of liveweight gain a day,” said Mr Kerr.

The production lift can be significant, he said, and is due to a combination of good farm management and high sugar grass being more palatable and more digestible than ryegrass with a low level of soluble carbohydrate.

Farmers can find more details about each AberHSG Field Day at www.highsugargrass.co.nz.
 

Website: http://www.germinalseeds.co.nz/

Published: October 9, 2012