Agronomy

Landcorp capitalises on improved animal performance, achieved through its sire breeding programmes, by integrating animal and feed management and development programmes. The Nutrition Group of agronomists within Landcorp's Genetics and Nutrition Unit plays an important role in this integrative process, working closely with the company's business managers and farm managers.

Each property is assessed for its strengths and weaknesses before overlaying the appropriate livestock enterprise and forage system. Opportunities include capitalising on variation in climate and soils on different farms to offer a spread of animal production.

Land Development and Pasture Renewal

Landcorp is systematically replacing old and less productive pastures with improved pasture species, with the objective of renewing 8-10% of land area per year. The agronomy team contributes to the scoping and prioritising of pasture renewal programmes for each farm, including the most appropriate pasture species to use and the development of pasture renovation rotation plans. The new pastures increase annual herbage production and reduce seasonal fluctuations in the pattern of pasture growth. With more pasture grown, and an increase in pasture quality and feed value, Landcorp farm managers are able to improve animal productivity through better grazing utilisation and increased stocking rates.

Our agronomists select the cultivars of ryegrass, clovers, herbs and crops most appropriate for each farm, and co-ordinate the company-wide procurement of seed and seed mixes through a national seed procurement programme. They also ensure that best practice methods for cultivation, sowing, capital fertiliser input and pasture/crop establishment and management are followed.

Sustainable Land Productivity

Landcorp's agronomists work under an objective of sustainable land productivity, based on monitoring soil and water quality, soil nutrient budgeting, landscape management (eg, tree planting, reserve creation), precision fertiliser application, etc. Continual collaboration with industry technology groups assists in ensuring our methodologies are up to date, appropriate and cost-effective.

Planned Fertiliser Use

Landcorp operates a planned national programme of fertiliser procurement. Our agronomists work with fertiliser suppliers, business managers and farm managers to effectively manage soil fertility. We use nutrient budgeting to meet both sustainable soil quality objectives and pasture elemental requirements for optimal pasture growth and quality. Factors such as timing of application, fertiliser placement and timing of feed utilisation post-application are all important for cost-effective use of one of Landcorp's most expensive farm inputs.

Grazing Management

Grazing management is the matching of feed supply with animal feed demand. The agronomy team train farm staff in feed budgeting skills to be better equipped to balance animal nutrient requirements at different times of the year according to their stock class and physiological status (growth, pregnancy, lactation), with the amount and quality of feed that can be grown.

An integral part of pasture renovation is the sowing of forage crops either for conservation or for grazing through the winter. Such crops form an important feed source, particularly during the winter when pasture growth rates are low, and hence they are significant in overall feed management policies on-farm. Landcorp's agronomists provide expert advice on the cultivation, sowing, establishment and management of such crops.

Initiatives with Industry Researchers

Landcorp maintains a leading position of being associated with technological developments to enhance soil, water, pasture and crop productivity. Such initiatives include:

• Close association with industry groups developing new and improved grass, clover, herb and crop cultivars.
• Regular updates with soil fertility researchers to ensure the most appropriate and sustainable policies of fertiliser use are followed, together with implementation of such mitigation strategies as the reduction in nitrate leaching.
• Collaborating with research entomologists to investigate and implement insect pest control strategies (eg, grass grub, manuka beetle, clover root weevil).
• Exploit expertise in decision support software development to help in implementing effective grazing management systems, appropriate pasture measurements and quality analyses, soil quality management, etc.

The overall objective of this animal-feed management integration is effective resource utilisation and subsequent on-farm profitability. Assessments are made on the basis of a property's fit into both local and national performance planning, ensuring that farms remain as critical units of a nationally coordinated enterprise with common goals.