B+LNZ extension manager Mel Poulton says many farmers have baulked at fodder beet as a crop because of the establishment costs.
“But they need to also consider the yield value in dollars per kilogram of dry matter [DM] harvested. As a general rule of thumb, the average NZ fodder beet crop yields about 26[tonnes] DM/ha, which translates to an overall cost of about 10c/kg DM.”
The B+LNZ demo farm involved is the Linklater family’s 586ha Manawatu operation, Linkfarm, which is run by Scott Linklater. It is a sheep, beef, deer, and cropping operation, split over four properties. Younger brother Paul runs Agrilink Contracting, covering the wider Manawatu/Wanganui and Hawke’s Bay regions.
Scott has been growing fodder beet for about five years and achieving yields of 30t DM/ha. Essentially, the demo farm project aims to more than half the cost of the crop to 4c/kg DM. How? By limiting establishment costs to $1500/ha, while increasing yields to 35t DM/ha.
“We’ve seen how well fodder beet performs in terms of tonnes per hectare and the potential to increase farm performance. Rather than buying more land, we can make more off the land we already have. Grass maxes out at 10-12t DM/ha. Fodder beet is streets ahead – it has the potential to do 40t DM/ha.”
The Linklaters also find the crop versatile – suitable for lamb finishing, deer, and wagyu cattle. While fodder beet is recognised as being low in protein, they use high-quality silage to lift protein levels, particularly when grazing young stock.
Cultivated approach
The option of reducing costs by challenging conventional planting was an obvious path to pursue – thanks to Paul Linklater’s background. After six years working with agricultural machinery in the United Kingdom, Australia, and NZ, Paul returned to Manawatu in 2011 and set up his own agricultural contracting business.
He immediately recognised the potential of strip tillage to improve yields and protect both young plants and worked-up soil from the region’s notorious wind. He also recognised that the cost of cultivation needed to be minimised – that’s when he designed and built a machine that would allow cultivation to happen in one pass.
He is now on to version three of the machine and it is exceeding the Linklaters’ expectations. Scott says the evenness of this year’s germination is better than they’ve ever seen.
Not over till it’s over
Traditional cultivation involves six passes:
- broadacre spray
- ploughing
- levelling
- fertiliser application, harrowing and planting
- pre-emergence spray of weeds, and
- post emergence spray of weeds
By developing a strip tillage planting system that requires only one pass of the tractor (after the initial spraying-out pass), the success of plant establishment is increased by reducing the usual moisture loss that occurs during conventional cultivation. It will also reduce wind erosion of the soil and allow grazing of the paddock after bands have been sprayed.
A traditional cultivation routine would require a four-week fallow period, whereas the strip tillage method means 60% of the paddock is still available for grazing over that four-week period.
The bands are 20cm wide and run the length of the paddock. To achieve the cultivation in one pass, the rip, hoe, plant, and fertilise steps need to all happen from a single tractor and within 2cm accuracy of the sprayed bands. Thanks to GPS technology, this level of accuracy is possible out in the field.
The trial began in 2012, but first year results were hampered by the drought and the yields were not sufficiently robust to draw any strong conclusions. The silver lining though was the opportunity for lamb finishing, as Scott bought in large numbers of lambs being quit because of the drought.
The trial is being re-run this year, with some minor adjustments. It will cover 2.5ha of a 60ha flat block on Milson Line. The property is fertile and generally used for cash cropping over spring-summer, then lamb finishing during winter. With input from Lincoln University scientist Dr Jim Gibbs, the trial design and size will ensure robust results. Yield will be measured in February, late April-early May, and June.
Five trial areas were sprayed out in early October, 2013, and planted mid-to-late November. The five plot treatments are:
- control with conventional cultivation and planting
- conventional cultivation with starter fertiliser applied along plant line
- strip tillage cultivation, banded fertiliser with post emergence chemical applied broadacre
- strip tillage cultivation, banded fertiliser with post emergence chemical applied on banded plant line, and
- strip tillage cultivation, banded fertiliser with post emergence chemical applied on banded plant line, with an additional side dressing application of potassium.
Three cultivars of seed are being trialled in each of the five plots – Agricom’s Rivage, DLF’s Troya, and Seed Force’s Blaze.
Reaping benefits
B+LNZ’s Mel Poulton says the project has the potential to take forage crop cultivation to a new level.
“Not only is it more environmentally friendly – with the reduction in soil and moisture loss to wind, less soil being cultivated/disturbed and reduced quantity of fertiliser and spray with precision strip application – but it also has management benefits, because of the ability to still continue grazing the paddock for the month following the initial spray-out.
“It also potentially has significant upside for crop establishment, with the bands of grass mulch from the second alternate strip spray protecting seedlings from wind sheer, retaining moisture in the soil, and providing a warm microclimate for plant growth.”
