SFF Project Summary
Research into, and demonstration of, new techniques to improve decisions for management of kikuyu dominated pasture on Northland farms
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Latest Update
Report: Kikuyu Management for ME, Productivity and Profit [ 77K PDF]
Handout: Kikuyu Management for ME, Productivity and Profit [136K PDF]
Northland Kikuyu Action Group Booklets
Project Description
The project is building on six years of farmer based trials into on farm management practices that will maximise farm production for kikuyu dominated pastures. It seeks to survey the extent of kikuyu in Northland, to estimate economic cost of poorly managed kikuyu pasture, and develop a farmer orientated booklet/folder (and electronic version) to facilitate dissemination of present and future work on kikuyu management. This will summarise all the work carried out by the project. It will also involve farmer case studies and consultants input.
The issue/opportunity
Kikuyu is a dominant pasture in Northland, and is spreading through out coastal areas as far south as the Bay of Plenty and Taranaki. Poorly managed kikuyu pasture limits on-farm production.
Context/background
Northland Kikuyu Action group is a farmer driven group that started in 1999 to identify methods for maximising pasture production in the presence of kikuyu pasture. Since then it has carried out a number of projects aimed at identifying pasture management options for farmers. Interest by farmers in the work of the group is high, and the group has always ensured that the results of its work are shared widely with farmers, via field days, media articles, displays etc. This project seeks completion of this round of work.
Methods
A postal survey of all dairy farmers and beef council members will indicate the extent of kikuyu dominant pasture in Northland. A follow up detailed survey of 30 beef and 30 dairy farms will be carried out (15 with Kikuyu dominance, 15 without). This will look at EFS (economic farm surplus), management practices etc. This will be carried out by experienced Northland farm consultants.
Targeted at farmers, the booklet will focus on provision of recommendations for a range of on-farm management of kikuyu, based on trial work carried out by the Kikuyu Action Group, and actual farmer experience. Input will also be sought from those consultants in Northland experienced with Kikuyu management and other relevant technical information. It will, in fact, finally substantially create the "Toolbox" of options for farmers wishing to maximize production from their kikuyu pasture.
Latest Update: March 2007
Satellite Imagery determination of kikuyu extent
Funding has successfully been sourced from Envirolink for Landcare Research to use satellite imagery to assist in the determination of the extent of kikuyu dominant pasture throughout Northland, as discussed in the previous report.
The images have been sourced with support from Northland Regional Council and ortho-rectified. Work is now progressing on ground truthing the resultant images. Further ground truthing will be carried out in the autumn, as kikuyu dominant pasture become increasingly obvious. Some of the consultant costs of this ground truthing will be met out of this project.
Due to further delays, cost increases and unavailability of resources within the partner agencies, the group does not intend to proceed with the postal survey to determine the extent of kikuyu pasture.
Project Administration
This project continues to be reported to Northland Kikuyu Action meetings – most recently the meetings on 7 September and 8 February.
Booklet
An expansion of the paper completed by Wayne Andrews for the Feb 2006 PFDG conference has been completed, and a summary of this published and launched at the Northland Agricultural Field Days Pastoral Extension marquee. A copy of this is attached. This booklet is also available on the Enterprise Northland and NZ Landcare Trust websites: http://www.landcare.co.nz/policies/files5007/NZ%20Landcare%20Trust%20-%20Kikuyu%20.pdf and http://www.enterprisenorthland.co.nz/downloads/kikuyu_production_profit.pdf
In addition to this booklet, and following from discussion with Fiona Duncan, Hugh Stringleman has also been contracted to prepare a complete booklet, aimed at farmers and rural professionals that summarizes the critical information we know about kikuyu pasture, and brings the information into a modern context. This will be a largely web-based publication, but additional farmer summaries will also be generated. It will be available by 30 June 2007.
Further dissemination opportunity
It is noted that the Kikuyu Action group has once again been requested to contribute to the Pastoral Farming Development Group conference in Paihia on 4 May 2007. Accordingly Dr Hugh Black has been contracted to deliver a paper titled “Out of Africa: Livestock Health and Production from Kikuyu Grass”. It is proposed that the costs associated with this dissemination opportunity will be met by this project.
Quarterly Report June 2006
Kikuyu Extent Survey
A postal survey has been developed for Dairy farmers by KAG and Dexcel. This is being evaluated by Livestock Improvement Corporation Marketers and Greg Gent of Fonterra as to effectiveness of questions in order to analyse the responses and cost. If this proceeds and is repeated for Beef and sheep farmers it will provide a logical basis for many of the questions (and identify farmers with dominant kikuyu) from which to proceed with an economic survey in the future.
Satellite Imagery Option
In addition to the postal survey, a new possibility has appeared on the horizon.
A series of Northland wide frosts occurred during late June. One of the most widespread was on 27 June 2006. This simultaneous uniformity of frosting is rarely seen from one end of Northland to the other. It is believed that this is a one in 50 year event.
Kikuyu grass was frost damaged throughout the region. As frost damage develops in kikuyu its colour changes from light green to yellow then to a very light brown, showing as light coloured areas compared to the green of ryegrass (as though the kikuyu had been sprayed with Roundup). Severely frosted kikuyu will continue to brown off and rot over 4 to 8 weeks. It lends itself to an aerial survey technique to determine the distribution and density of kikuyu grass in Northland. Options are currently being explored for using satellite imagery to assist in the determination of the extent of kikuyu dominant pasture throughout Northland.
The appropriate images have been stored pending funding becoming available for their purchase and assessment. The Northland Regional Council has indicated it is willing to purchase the imagery on behalf of Northland farmers (approximately $2500), and an Envirolink application is being prepared to meet the cost of analysis ($20,000).
Booklet
Work is progressing on drafting this document. It is now proposed to prepare a series based loosely on the "AgFacts" format that MAF used to put out – a series of one page documents within a folder.
Hugh Stringlemann has agreed to assist with the editing of these.
The ‘folder' will still be launched at the KAG stand in the Pasture Farming Development Group marquee at the Dargaville Field Days in March 2007.
Proposed case studies are:
Dairy: Murray Jagger, Bruce Paton, Gluckman, Far North to be determined
Sheep and Beef: Alec Jack (Pakaraka – eradication), Geff Cookson (sheep and
beef-managed), Sandy Moore, Don McKay
Project Administration
This project was discussed at the Northland Kikuyu Action AGM on 7 July. Discussion at that meeting is noted in the minutes attached.
March 2005
No further measurements were undertaken during this period.
Work on this project is now concentrating on the preparation of the final report – this will be submitted by 30 June 2005.
Dissemination
A very successful field day was also held by the project on 11 March 2005.
Attendance was good – with nearly 75 people attending. Particularly pleasing with regard to attendance was two factors - one being that all bar one of the main farm consultants for Northland (Beef and Dairy) attended, and indicated value from the day. The other pleasing factor was the high proportion of farmers represented, and the fact that many of them were younger than average. It would appear that many farm owners chose to send their staff along to benefit from the field day. This is a pleasing indication that farmers recognize the value of these workshops.
The handouts from the day are attached, along with a number of media articles that have highlighted the work of the Kikuyu Action Group.
In addition to the KAG field day, Wayne Andrewes was a key speaker at the Northland Agricultural Research Farm field day.
Project Extension
The group has also been developing the detail for the proposed extension to this project. This comprises and assessment of the extent and economic impact of kikuyu pasture in Northland, and the preparation of a ‘booklet or folder' containing the results and management options for farmers developed by the project to date.
30 September 2004
Trial Work
Milestone 6 : Establish treatments required for trial 3 in March, April, May 04, begin measurements as grazing commences at each plot. Point analysis of all pots in July 04.
Point analysis of all plots was completed in June and July.
Milestone 7: Continue to platemeter all plots established in Trial 3 at each grazing until November 2004. Hold a field day to discuss progress.
Platemetering was done at each point anlaysis and during winter to confirm winter growth. Then again in October- November to confirm spring growth. This change was discussed with the Farmer and committee members of KAG and more emphasis was given to understanding why establishment results were so variable on some farms. With over 500 plots less emphasis was given to whether ryegrass grows more than kikuyu in winter and spring because this was already measured. The KAG committee also felt that it was more important to focus on completing the field work and data analysis and then holding a field-day in March 2004 than having a field-day in November, as occurred last year.
Milestone 8: Point analysis all plots establish in Trials 2 and 3 in October 2004
Point analysis was done in October and November 2004.
Administration/other dissemination
A very well attended AGM was held on 12 July. Results were presented for 2004 showing the huge effect old unmulched kikuyu had, and the impact of slugs (see the last quarterly report). The Paton trial aiming at eradication, and measuring rate of ingress of kikuyu was discussed. Treatments and measurements are underway.
The Tropical Grass Webworm Task Group work has been completed, and one page of best-practice for kikuyu management was included in their booklet (see attachment). One of the TGW trials for 2004 was established at Bluchers property. This is a valuable addition to KAG work, because of its location in the Far North, where kikuyu is more aggressive and dominant than in any other district.
The work of the project was profiled when Grass Roots Business filmed on Murray Jaggers property (although unfortunately they didn't include the comments made in appreciation of the support of the SFF to the project …!) We consider that this profile probably does as much in getting the message about kikuyu management options to lifestyle block owners, as it does to farmers. These, however, are an important component of Northland pastoral farmers.
A committee meeting and Special General Meeting was held after a mini field-day at Patons farm on 8 October, and will be reported on in the next quarter report.
The Northland Kikuyu Action Group has been approached by the Northland Agicultural Research Farm for input and support of their future trial proposals. The Northland Agricultural Research Farm has decided to proceed with a new series of trials commencing autumn 2004, incorporating kikuyu management for milk production. One trial will be high-input based on ryegrass, aiming at over 1,200 kg MS /ha. One will be based on best-practice kikuyu management, following the results of the KAG research program. One will be low-input i.e. hoof and tooth control of kikuyu, as happens on many farms. This work over 4 to 5 years will quantify milk production and economics on a farmlet scale. This will be very valuable in taking the KAG results from grazed small-plots to economic and production data. It will, for the first time in New Zealand, study milk production from kikuyu in summer, and reasons for sudden production drops " toxicity".
A beef farm discussion group is developing possible future work proposals around measurements of ME.
Over 4 years funding from SFF has allowed KAG to promote understanding of positive and negative aspects of kikuyu grass farming in Northland. Covering over a third of pasture area it typifies regional research appropriate to Northland, but with wider distribution throughout coastal New Zealand.
This program has stimulated interest and understanding. Thank you SFF.
