Balansa clover

[Kiwi Pete]

Im going to swing oast bunnings tomorrow and make me up a spring crop cover crop for sh*ts and giggles...

I get dead bored unless i am trialling something...sprayed weeds out of teff today...only thing really making it through was some thistles as i ploughed the trial spot before planting..will try keep it direct drillish now...

The lucerne is gone right off in the wet...red and alsike clover going great guns...will spray with buttress tomorrow before rain i hope to clean up....

Ant....

You should trial the Smart Radish for me Ant and then by this time next year I'll know if it's any good
Checkout norwestseed.co.nz
-smart radish

 

[scholland]

Balansa is changing again... Lot of roots in 11 weeks growth.

 

[neilo]

Balansa is changing again... Lot of roots in 11 weeks growth.

Crikey, is it growing coins for you now?

 

[scholland]

Crikey, is it growing coins for you now?

Money tree [emoji3][emoji3] shame you have to dig them up though [emoji33]

 

[TelesnaAg]

You should trial the Smart Radish for me Ant and then by this time next year I'll know if it's any good
Checkout norwestseed.co.nz
-smart radish

If you have a very aggressive plant like this in a cover crop mix...lookking at its roots, is there a chance you can end up with nutritional hot spots? I think this would only be best by itself....otherwise it might and im only thinking out loud here...grab nutrients from a wide area going by roots and they will be concentrated into the radish bulb?

Id much prefer above ground raddish that stock eat and spread nutrients...

Thats my thinking anyway...

Ant...

 

[Great In Grass]

You should trial the Smart Radish for me Ant and then by this time next year I'll know if it's any good
Checkout norwestseed.co.nz
-smart radish

That looks ................... well quite 'smart'.

 

[TelesnaAg]

Pics of balansa seed crop sown may 3rd...chem affected...

Ant...

 

[TelesnaAg]

It has grown in last week..been wet

Ant...

 

[TelesnaAg]

Non chem affected is a foot tall and thick...

Starting to nodulate...

Ant...

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Wow, bit of a difference where the pre em went
can see why Ant is a bit peeved....
Interesting to see the extra where it's had wet feet by the puddle, I'm thinking I'll take the plunge.
NZ$10.65-$13.65/kg for Bolta depending on coating and quantity.

 

[TelesnaAg]

Wow, bit of a difference where the pre em went
can see why Ant is a bit peeved....
Interesting to see the extra where it's had wet feet by the puddle, I'm thinking I'll take the plunge.
NZ$10.65-$13.65/kg for Bolta depending on coating and quantity.

The chem affect disgusts me...and its the pivotal failure to move to holistic ...and now theres more info out its ewsier to do

 

[TelesnaAg]

Woops...easier to do...i believe i can get 2-3 crops a year now..be it grain and forage.

Those prices are ridiculous Pete...

Certified seed worth $6-7 a kg

Uncertified $2 a kg...

Ant...

 

[TelesnaAg]

Can you get Antass? Sub clover...also good sh*t..

Bolta is very popular here and i can see why...

Ant...

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Yes seed is very expensive here, unless it's ryegrass, the biggest pasture weed in NZ....

Can obtain quite a few different legumes but sadly not many vetches or sainfoin and they're high up the list for my own "herbal ley mix"

Will attempt a crop of "do nothing peas" for some high protein baleage and then follow it with a forage brassica/leafy turnip and sow balansa underneath it, as a bit of a catch crop.
After seeing what it can do I'm reasonably confident of a window to establish the herb mix into Balansa rather than the other way around, plus it should have plenty of N to get the herbs up and away. 7-8kgs or so is the planned rate under the forage brassicas?

 

[neilo]

The chem affect disgusts me...and its the pivotal failure to move to holistic ...and now theres more info out its ewsier to do

Is that not throwing the baby out with the bath water? You were poorly advised and used an inappropriate chemical. It doesn't mean that all 'non-holisitic' farming is bad by any means, just that somebody made a mistake.

 

[TelesnaAg]

Is that not throwing the baby out with the bath water? You were poorly advised and used an inappropriate chemical. It doesn't mean that all 'non-holisitic' farming is bad by any means, just that somebody made a mistake.

I feel very comfortable to throw the baby out...i dont see a way forward with full blown chem farming...i dont see the way to market this stuff...i dont see it as sustainable...i dont see it as profitable for the amount of $ it takes to farm...i see no future in it...all good if you like being fisted six ways from sunday everyday of your life.

Ant....

 

[Kiwi Pete]

...all good if you like being fisted six ways from sunday everyday of your life.

Ant....

apparently, it's more enjoyable after the fist few times.

 

[TelesnaAg]

We dont have an ag lobby group to represent us in the city..so as the pressure keeps coming the more regulation comes in...

From what ive seen the uk doesnt have one either....

Ask any person in melboure who the head off nff or vff is...???...i dont even know...theres no tv ads...no promotion of good farming...nothing...total joke...

So i see its best to get off that one way street while you can...its more fun growing alot of combinations...and fitting some crop in for less cost...have something u can sell....move into a farming system that is inline with buyer expectation...and also be able to cope with further regulation as that will come no doubt....

Ant...

 

[scholland]

Cut the balansa now, decent crop. Herbicide that I had to use on some of it completely killed the clover.

 

[TelesnaAg]

What did you use?

Tiger x is prob most common one used here....seems ok on clover..

Will u get crop tested?

Ant...