The Muster- Nathan Nelson: Dairy NZ

Nathan Nelson talks grass management ahead of the change in farming seasons.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:11):
This is a muster. Nathan Nelson joins us next from
darry En z Good have to know nath House sax.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Geady, Andy, Good to be with you on another great day.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
Isn't it crazy the start to the spring cycle as such? Yes,
we're still technically at the end of winter, but over
the past few weeks in particular, without looking to see
what the forecast is doing, it looks all weave at
diicey over the weekend. But you'll see it yourself, Nathan,
what a start to the year or the season, as
you say.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Oh, definitely, And I think you and I were chatting
about it off here too. You know, even that sort
of back end of July was a relatively favorable kind condition.
So I've definitely had a good start and see ourselves
up well. And so I suppose it's a matter of, yeah,
trying to capitalize on that farm for what's in front
of us.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
And we even brought up the topic about kale and
people perhaps having to contemplate bailing kale because what are
you going to do if you've got an over excess.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Of the stuff. Yeah, well, that's right, isn't it. And
I think that's sort of probably the key thing to
sort of think through what's happening in that feed position
in front of you. Certainly hearing you know, some pretty
high average pasture covers, maybe sort of unseasonally high, you know,
the usually what we'd start carving with. But I think

(01:21):
there's probably a few of us that have been farming
in South And for a fair while, and though that
we've still got to get through September, and yeah, we're
certainly not past balance date yet, and there'll be a
few thinking just maybe a bit of a false false
balance date or not a false start, but yeah, certainly
still a long way to go before we get to
that sort of end of that first round. So yeah,

(01:43):
we'll definitely take what we've got in front of us.
But YE think we're just farming to the conditions and
looking at what options we've got.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
We look at feed options at the moment you talk
about past your management, grazing management and the likes pretty
relevant for the time of year.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, and I suppose that's what would sort of be
encouraging now heading towards the end of end of August,
sort of intel on the ground, you know, for the
dairy guys sort of getting well and truly you know,
halfway through carving or some even quite a bit further
than that. So yeah, it sort of probably been fairly
busy and sat out time, but now it's you know, like,

(02:17):
well it only is probably going to get busy, to
be honest, but now's a good time just to sneak
in that partial assessment if you haven't actually done one,
and get around and work out what feed position you
actually are in in terms of average part you covers.
If you are pretty sort of time poor and juggling
a fair few things, would even just encourage going having

(02:39):
a look at sort of half a dozen paddocks at
the top of the feed wedge, even if it's just
a visual and half a dozen paddocks at the bottom
of the feed wedge as far as your residuals, just
to have a bit of a feel and work out
where you're sitting in that regard. And then yeah, for
those that are a bit more sort of doing the
formal spring rotation plan or feed budget, good chance just
to update that and have a look at where you're positioned. Yeah,

(03:03):
just making sure that year sort of know what you're
dealing with and that you're on track is probably a
bit of a tendency with good covers to sort of think,
you know, we could probably get going, or just concerned
about maybe past your quality. But you probably start thinking
about some of those things maybe more in the second round,
once we're a bit further through the spring. Otherwise, I

(03:24):
think the thing we'd say is, yeah, perhaps as long
as you're not leaving like messively high residuals behind, don't
don't sort of panic too much because, like you said,
but the weather coming at the weekend, or you know,
the option to sort of tidy it up next round
with you know that mile when we're really into it,
you know, past balance data, the true surplus, or even
a sort of a velage option, or if you're going

(03:44):
to look at regrassing, that's probably when we start looking
at the true surfaces and more options. Given that, like
we said, we're still tracking towards the end of August
and still got a fair September to go through, it's
probably still a sort of a measure and monitor an assess.
But yeah, it wouldn't be getting too excited or carried
away just at the moment.

Speaker 1 (04:05):
So it's neil at the end of August, what would
be one key word of advice around past your management
at the moment.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
Nathan, Yeah, I think it's just like no, your position
to be the key thing. If you haven't had that
chance to get a farm walk done or even just
have a good look around, make sure you get out
and do that this week. Either get a measuring if
you're set up for formal measurements, or like we suggested,
do that sort of visual you know, visual drive around
or visual look around at the top and bottom covers

(04:31):
just to sort of know where you are. And you
definitely update that spring rotation plan or spring feed budget
if that's what you're doing now.

Speaker 1 (04:38):
A couple of events coming out with darien Z.

Speaker 2 (04:42):
Yeah, look a key one we've got coming up next month,
the ninth of September. It's probably more targeted for our
real professional networks and then also maybe some of those
farm owners or farm business owners that are so much
on the cold face of sort of carving or milk
and rosters per se. But yeah, we're looking at bringing
Nico Williams ahead of science for darien Z and also

(05:04):
Dawn Delly, who's our senior scientists in the region, and
having a good look at where that darien zed science
and LIVY investment is currently happening where some of the
future funding is coming from and some of those projects
they're going to be funded with the LIVY investments. So
we're looking at the likes of the extended lactation trial,
bit of information around cow wearables, that whole infrastructure space,

(05:28):
some of the winter and work that's gone on wetlands development,
and we might even have a bit of a discussion
around some of this talk of dairy expansion or what
would need to go on for that to be the case.
So yeah, we're Choosday in nineteen September for that, we're
looking at a working mon's club and number Carble about
nine o'clock through it all help us eleven or so.

(05:48):
All the information for that one's on the darien Z
website as well as people are interested or got a
scrap of time that they want to get along and
hear a bit around that year research space.

Speaker 1 (05:59):
Absolutely good on you, Nathan, always good to catch up.

Speaker 2 (06:02):
Thanks Andy. Good to chat.

Speaker 1 (06:05):
Nathan, Nelson, Alderi and zid Away to Clinton. Next. Russell
Maloney speaking of behalf of the Clinton Rugby Club, who've
got a special event coming up on Friday,