Farm systems analysis of two thistles of differing seasonal pasture growth impacts in North Island hill country

Stevens, D.R.; Tozer, K. N.; Rhodes, Tim; Zydenbos, S. M.; Dynes, Robyn; Manning, Michael; Roberts, A. H. C.; White, Michael; Metherell, A. K.

doi:10.33584/jnzg.2019.81.411

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 11 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Scenario testing using fine-scale GIS data of topography and aspect, combined annual and perennial thistle density data and soil nutrient and water-holding data has been used to predict the relative economic benefits of thistle control on a complex hill property (Stevens et al, 2019b). This provides an example of how digital technologies can be used at fine scale to offer new insights into farm management options.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating Digital Technologies to Aid Grassland Productivity and Sustainability

Stevens

Thompson

Johnson

et al. 2021

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Digital technologies provide an opportunity to further increase the sustainability and productivity of grasslands and rangelands. Three resources are key to that change. These are the soil on which forage grows, the forages that grow on those soils and the animals that use the forage resource as food. This paper describes elements of technologies to measure and monitor these resources and provides some insights on combining that knowledge and controlling the animal's utilization through virtual fencing. There are many potential challenges to the application of digital technologies to pastoral farming. These often require the calibration of digital signals to define biophysical characteristics. The significant repository of historic data of pasture growth over many geo-climatic regions, for example, provides New Zealand with an opportunity to accelerate that development. Future advances in rangeland use, nutrient deposition, greenhouse gas emissions and the provision and utilization of high quality and quantity will be enabled by the application of digital technologies at scale, under the control of virtual fencing. Digital technologies may provide the means to maintain or enhance ruminant production from grassland in a sustainable operating space into the future.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating Digital Technologies to Aid Grassland Productivity and Sustainability

Stevens

Thompson

Johnson

et al. 2021

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Investment analysis, of the costs and benefits of a potential white clover introduction programme. This approach follows closely that of Stevens et al (2019), who quantified the value proposition for thistle control using the same case-study farm system.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Farmax ® Pro Sheep and Beef whole farm model was used to represent the Tangihanga Station farm system (Version 6.4.6.07 AgResearch Science Edition for S&B, http:\\www.farmax.co.nz). The "Tangihanga Base" model and associated seasonal pasture growth curves has been used previously to examine the effects of thistle infestation (Stevens et al 2019).…”

Section: Modelling Of the Farm Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying the value proposition for white clover persistence on a New Zealand summer-dry hill-country farm

Dodd¹,

Tozer²,

Vogeler³

et al. 2020

Journal of NZ Grasslands

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The improvement in forage quality and quantity of summer-dry hill country pasture resulting from the introduction of clover is well recognised. However, ensuring the persistence of the commonly availablecultivars is challenging, in the face of seasonal moisture stress, intensive grazing, competition from established well-adapted pasture species, low soil fertility and low soil pH – conditions typical of the East Coast of the North Island. Here we quantify the value proposition associated with the introduction of white clover into a case study on a Gisborne sheep and beef farm, using a six-step process. A topographically explicit approach is taken, using an understanding of the underlying spatial variability, based on a combination of soil and pasture measurements, APSIM simulation modelling of pasture growth and farm system modelling of enterprise performance. We show that from a baseline of a typical low-fertility, diverse species hill country pasture, white clover introduction can increase spring and summer forage consumption by 17%, enabling inclusion of an additional 6-month bull finishing enterprise generating a 32% greater carcass weight production and leading to a 49% improvement in farm system EBIT. This represents a positive net present value of over $360,000 for the original investment in white clover establishment into existing pastures.

show abstract

“…It causes severe production losses of desired species by shading and replacing pasture. Variegated thistle infestation reduced farm profitability on one large property near Gisborne by 37% ($135 ha -1 ), because of its negative impact on pasture production, stocking rate and the potential to finish lambs in summer (Stevens et al 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of pasture height and herbage mass on suppression of variegated thistle in North Island East Coast hill country

Tozer¹,

Greenfield²,

Grigson³

et al. 2020

Journal of NZ Grasslands

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Variegated thistle in East Coast North Island hill country reduces pasture and livestock productivity. To quantify the impact of increasing amounts of pasture cover (herbage mass) on this weed, variegated thistle seeds were hand-sown in autumn into pasture swards that ranged in height from 0 cm (bare ground) to 12 cm, on an East Coast property near Gisborne. Sward height was maintained by mowing without damaging the thistle plants. Increasing pasture cover reduced thistle emergence, height, diameter, biomass, survival, and seed production. By early June, 7 weeks after sowing, thistle emergence was greatest from bare ground and from maintaining a pasture at a height of 3 cm (>1100 kg DM ha-1 in autumn) and declined with increasing pasture height. By December, thistle height, diameter, biomass, flowerhead production and survival were highest in the bare ground treatment (thistle biomass ≈760 g plant-1), much lower in the 3-cm pasture height treatment (≈20 g plant-1), negligible in the 6-cm (>1600 kg DM/ha) and nil in the 8-cm (>1800 kg DM ha-1) and 12-cm (>2700 kg DM ha-1) pasture treatments (P<0.002). Maintaining pasture height of 3 cm severely reduced variegated thistle establishment, growth and flowerhead production. Results infer that grazing management strategies, such as lengthening the interval between grazing events in autumn and early winter, will increase pasture cover and are likely to severely reduce thistle establishment, growth and seed production.

show abstract

Farm systems analysis of two thistles of differing seasonal pasture growth impacts in North Island hill country

Cited by 6 publications

References 11 publications

Integrating Digital Technologies to Aid Grassland Productivity and Sustainability

Integrating Digital Technologies to Aid Grassland Productivity and Sustainability

Quantifying the value proposition for white clover persistence on a New Zealand summer-dry hill-country farm

Impact of pasture height and herbage mass on suppression of variegated thistle in North Island East Coast hill country

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About