Sowing peas...!!

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Finally got some rain down here.
Hopefully that will get them up, the ground is getting rock hard and cracking on the surface!
Last rain would have been 3 weeks or so ago and wasn't much.
Our soil isn't really cracking much but a day tailing yesterday showed me the importance of what we do differently here!
Paddocks had cows at the start of winter, capped it off, felt like spiky concrete underfoot. Didn't have phone to hand but the cracks are 17 cm down.
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
yea we have a lot of areas with crap grasses
done some radishs in garden grew ok but not alot of growth over winter also tend to go to flower fast so short term crop
ok for breaking in ground i think if rocky and can't run rippers
when have tryed gland ,crimson ,berseen,persian,arrowleaf clovers
also balansa clover but wrote that off for here did not grow well other areas it may
all have some hope needs warm rains to get them going tho
there are alot of good mixs if yer after radishs hard to get in NZ but
https://www.norwestseed.co.nz/products
thats were i got mine from and wanting to try the newer one maybe this year
that new fodder cross one frome PGG is ment to be a good one to look at
https://www.pggwrightsonseeds.com/Crops/Brassicas/Raphno/Pallaton
Did you try the "smart radish" Pete?
I'm thinking that may go in my 'buggered corner' mix - I guess we all know what I mean by that...
 

hendrebc

Member
Livestock Farmer
Finally got some rain down here.
Hopefully that will get them up, the ground is getting rock hard and cracking on the surface!
Last rain would have been 3 weeks or so ago and wasn't much.
Our soil isn't really cracking much but a day tailing yesterday showed me the importance of what we do differently here!
Paddocks had cows at the start of winter, capped it off, felt like spiky concrete underfoot. Didn't have phone to hand but the cracks are 17 cm down.
You should take.pictures to show old cheerful bossfarmer and the other jolly anti kiwi everything is green and pleasant down under brigade! Isnt it spring were you are? Everyone has a panic attack here if it doesnt rain for a few weeks in summer! Cracks like that would probably make the papers!
 

JD-Kid

Member
Did you try the "smart radish" Pete?
I'm thinking that may go in my 'buggered corner' mix - I guess we all know what I mean by that...
did not have seed last autrum and not sure if it will be about now or after this comeing harvest
talking to the guy it's ment to be quite good
takes a while for animals to get on to it so not realy suited as a stand along crop unless being worked back in as a restore crop
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
You should take.pictures to show old cheerful bossfarmer and the other jolly anti kiwi everything is green and pleasant down under brigade! Isnt it spring were you are? Everyone has a panic attack here if it doesnt rain for a few weeks in summer! Cracks like that would probably make the papers!
Shaping up to be an unusually predictable season down here.
Had 7.5mm last night, a set of twins (live) out of a scanned single hogget so maybe it split her atoms. Good lightning show too..

Yep that's exactly the case for most intensively farmed soils, people bash the resilience out of them and don't even question it. It's always the weather's fault!
Hence the burning desire not to play God too much here, although our climate records say we have 4 inches of rain per month it doesn't - merely an average - shows up in attitude to risk from the southern correspondents on here a bit... planting one of my 17 paddocks into something is a big risk, hence the low cost low expectations method.
@Farmer Roy has a very similar thought process...
 

hendrebc

Member
Livestock Farmer
Shaping up to be an unusually predictable season down here.
Had 7.5mm last night, a set of twins (live) out of a scanned single hogget so maybe it split her atoms. Good lightning show too..

Yep that's exactly the case for most intensively farmed soils, people bash the resilience out of them and don't even question it. It's always the weather's fault!
Hence the burning desire not to play God too much here, although our climate records say we have 4 inches of rain per month it doesn't - merely an average - shows up in attitude to risk from the southern correspondents on here a bit... planting one of my 17 paddocks into something is a big risk, hence the low cost low expectations method.
@Farmer Roy has a very similar thought process...
I really enjoy seeing how youndo things with different weather challenges to what we have here. I dont envy your dry weather one bit. Wet has problems but at least i have stuff for stock to eat in summer!
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
did not have seed last autrum and not sure if it will be about now or after this comeing harvest
talking to the guy it's ment to be quite good
takes a while for animals to get on to it so not realy suited as a stand along crop unless being worked back in as a restore crop
Yep it would likely be a kilo thrown into a mix with a few other things, likely a clover or two and another brassica.
Probably also consider a light-rate cereal too as a bit of a bird-bait/nurse/canopy crop.
Most of our business works only because things are stacked on top of things (so the chance is higher of a good outcome)
 

Farmer Roy

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
NSW, Newstralya
Finally got some rain down here.
Hopefully that will get them up, the ground is getting rock hard and cracking on the surface!
Last rain would have been 3 weeks or so ago and wasn't much.
Our soil isn't really cracking much but a day tailing yesterday showed me the importance of what we do differently here!
Paddocks had cows at the start of winter, capped it off, felt like spiky concrete underfoot. Didn't have phone to hand but the cracks are 17 cm down.

3 weeks without rain ?

17 cm deep cracks ?

Hahaha you lightweight Kiwis :)
The rain on the weekend was the first for 3 months & ive seen cracks you could lose a crowbar down. I've actually dry bogged a Landcruiser when a drive wheel fell down a crack :)

It's all relative isn't it, 20 C is cold for someone from Darwin, but hot in Hobart
Hope the season is going well for you
 

Farmer Roy

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
NSW, Newstralya
Yep that's exactly the case for most intensively farmed soils, people bash the resilience out of them and don't even question it. It's always the weather's fault!
Hence the burning desire not to play God too much here, although our climate records say we have 4 inches of rain per month it doesn't - merely an average - shows up in attitude to risk from the southern correspondents on here a bit... planting one of my 17 paddocks into something is a big risk, hence the low cost low expectations method.
@Farmer Roy has a very similar thought process...

Err, working in unpredictable & increasingly extreme environments ( despite what the climate change deniers on here say ) does tend to create that mindset . . .
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
3 weeks without rain ?

17 cm deep cracks ?

Hahaha you lightweight Kiwis :)
The rain on the weekend was the first for 3 months & ive seen cracks you could lose a crowbar down. I've actually dry bogged a Landcruiser when a drive wheel fell down a crack :)

It's all relative isn't it, 20 C is cold for someone from Darwin, but hot in Hobart
Hope the season is going well for you
Certainly pleased to hear rain on the roof last night, but yeah I don't talk about 'droughts' because I've seen the pictures :eek:
Just unusual for so early on not to have weeks of driving rain and squalls gale force winds etc.. the electricity hasn't even gone off since the winter :cool:
Very unusual down here - lambing and calving means weeks of :poop: (as a rule)
Grass growth is reflecting that, but then more leaf means more moisture leaving the scene as well.
To the point the dairy farmer neighbour was wondering if he should put some N on:ROFLMAO:
I said that's probably the cause of half his trouble :whistle:
Certainly not having trouble feeding stock, need to get some lambs on the place smartish to keep it trim.
Cattle only do half the job, farming is much cheaper with several livestock classes grazing together (y)
Soil temp is hovering at about 13 and things are ripping on our place, bit of rain will keep it going hopefully.
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
We have a soil temp of around 11 degrees at 9 am. Can’t believe you have better than us down south

But then we are beating you on the rain numbers so I’ll do you a trade...
It's terribly cold and bleak down here... tell everyone!! ;)
Yes, I saw on my rain map that you guys all got a good dousing :cool:
And that the lightning that missed us took out your electricity in Canterbury, hope it didn't affect you at all?
We had awesome wildfire before the rain came, was just wandering back down the paddock from checking my hoggets enjoying the show, but only a couple of thunderclaps before it went over. Tried to get a picture of the wildfire lighting up the sky but it didn't happen :rolleyes:
Our wee place lies nicely into the sun and the soil is very dark, so it's quick to warm up (y) would be good for olives if the peas don't grow :banghead:
Will have to keep a lid on all the ducks now that the peas are sprouting, a lot on the surface due to my rather agricultural drilling methods, but hopefully buried enough to get a crop off it. :nailbiting:
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
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Bit of a progress report for you guys.
Peas are coming up, luckily I left plenty of turfiness as the pigeon population are cleaning up those left on the surface, which seems to be distracting the barstewards from picking at the emergers (getting cramp from crossing these fingers!)
And, as you can see in the bottom picture, the grass is slowly making a comeback after it's shock. Pretty even across the paddock really.
So, the sowing method has worked :nailbiting:
Now to keep the birds away. The dog is getting quite a taste for plucked pigeon, they are like flies, I'm sure they hide behind picture frames or some sh!t.
Have nailed about 40, each day there is another 6 or 8 up here.:mad:
Hopefully in a week we have some proper leaves to photograph, weather is much less settled than it has been, which should work in their favour. :nailbiting:
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

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