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Issue 79 / Spring / October 2016
Hi [firstname]
Welcome to the October 2016 SeedData newsletter.
I trust this newsletter finds all of our clients well and no doubt busy.
This Spring seems to be a tale of two islands.
Our North Island clients appear to have had too much rain, while our South Island clients (apart from the very top of it) have had the best Spring for years!
One client told me the other day that one more rain and it would be the perfect spring... and guess what, it's raining as I write this newsletter.
In this months newsletter I'm happy to promote something that's been in the pipe line for the last 18 months and it all about slugs!
As most of our clients will know, slugs can be devastating to newly establishing crops and when direct drilling they are potentially a huge issue so I hope you find the article of interest.
We also have a look at a new perennial ryegrass from the Agriseeds stable.
Please browse these topics below:
Endure slug bait - Slug control just got better and easier.
I am a fan of direct drilling seed as a method of seed establishment.
Over the years it's turned from a novelty way of crop establishment to now be the preferred method of crop establishment for most farmers.
A tremendous amount of R&D has gone into fine tuning the direct drilling system so that today it's rare to have a failure with it.
However, failures can and do occur. In my experience they happen if people take short cuts or simply forget the many keys for success that direct drilling requires.
Of all the jobs I get called to have a look at where things have gone or a going wrong, slugs would be the most common culprit.
Normally by the time I'm called in, the damage is done and an expensive re-drill is required.
So when we were approached some 18 months ago to have a look at a new to the market product for slug control we sat up and took notice, particularly when the ease of use was explained.
Since the initial approach was made there has been a huge amount of time and effort in getting the product to market and we are happy to say that time is nearly upon us.
Introducing Endure Slug baits
Endure mini slug baits are best used as part of a two-way attack strategy.
This strategy is to both broadcast slug baits either just before or just after drilling, and then mix Endure mini slug baits with the seed mix and drill it into the pasture at the same time... job done.
The keys to success with Endure mini slug baits is in the word 'mini', as the more slug baits you can get per metre of drill row the more opportunity the slugs have in coming into contact with them.
- Endure mini slug baits have 110,000 baits per kg whereas most commonly used broadcast type baits normally have 60,000 baits per kg
- The recommended sowing rate per hectare when mixed with seed is 3-4 kgs, therefore farmers will have to adjust their drills to reflect the extra sow rate per hectare
The active ingredient in Endure mini slug baits is metaldehyde which over the years has proven itself to be an excellent chemical for slug control.
Endure mini slug baits are made in a state of the art manufacturing plant based in France that blends the active ingredient throughout the pasta base which helps to ensure bait persistence.
How to assess slug numbers
It's important for farmers to assess slug numbers prior to drilling.
This is normally done by placing wet sacks or pieces of weighted ply wood (3-5) in different locations over the paddock.
You should leave these out overnight and count the numbers of slugs present in the morning.
A minimum of 3-4 slugs in each sack or piece of plywood is the amount where the level that both broadcast and mixing Endure mini slug baits with your seed will be cost effective.
Recommendations
Endure mini slug baits are not expensive, and they are safe and easy to use, however we do recommend the use of dust masks and gloves when handling any agricultural chemical including Endure mini slug baits.
By the time you read this newsletter, we will have Endure in store and ready to go! I'm really excited about this product as I think it's going to be a major help in the control of this difficult pest.
For more information on slugs please follow the links below, or for more information on using Endure mini slug baits please contact us.
Download Link: Download the Pasture Pests - Grey Field Slug information sheet
Information Link: Download the Endure Label for more information
Contact Link: Contact Specialty Seeds if you have any other questions.
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Tyson - New ryegrass aimed at sheep and beef boys
Many of our sheep and beef clients have experienced the benefits of having a grass that has an earlier flowering date than the standard types of perennial ryegrasses.
Over the years there have been several on the market - a grass that lifts out of the winter quicker and goes into the winter slower can have real advantages.
Agriseeds have always had a strong history of breeding these earlier flowering perennial ryegrass types so it is good to see they are keeping up the good work with their latest early flowering type called Tyson.
Tyson diploid perennial ryegrass
Tyson is a very early flowering, diploid perennial ryegrass. It is the earliest heading perennial ryegrass on the market with tremendous early spring growth and excellent overall yield.
With a -7 day heading date, Tyson is suitable for sheep and beef systems, where additional dry matter available earlier in the spring means more feed available through lambing and calving.
Capturing this advantage in your farm system will translate into more lambs finished at weaning, and higher lamb weights etc.
Tyson has excellent total DM yield, similar to Trojan ryegrass, but it is in early Spring that it really shines with 18% more yield than other perennial ryegrasses.
Tyson was bred from Agriseeds best early season perennial ryegrasses, Meridian and Arrow. Meridian was a very early cultivar released a number of years ago with exceptional early spring yield.
The improvement achieved with Tyson is to capture the best of this, and combine it with the best of Arrow.
This gives both exceptional early spring growth, as well as very good year-round total yield, similar in yield to the very successful Trojan.
Tyson is currently available with AR1 endophyte, however this Spring there is only a small amount commercially available.
We are sure that given a good harvest there will be good stocks available this coming Autumn.
As always, please contact us with any questions.
Download Link: Download a Tyson ryegrass information brochure for more information.
Contact Link: Contact Specialty Seeds if you have any questions or would like to make an order.
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As always, we hope this issue has been of some value to you. If you have a comment on this newsletter or anything on our website, please give us a call on our Freephone: 0800 727 8873, send us an email at: mail@specseed.co.nz.
Kind Regards
Stephen Finch & David Percival
Specialty Seeds - New Zealand
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