New Zealand: Challenging season winds down for Waikato maize growers

It’s been a season of challenges for Waikato maize growers, who have had to deal with cyclones, huge crop variability and widespread weed infestations. The average estimated crop harvest has yields down 2 tonnes per hectare from previous years, with crops ranging from terrible to better than normal. Those crops on heavier and wetter soils have been hardest hit, Waikato Federated Farmers arable chair Keith Holmes said. One of the biggest headaches is where to store maize silage as many silage bunkers are still full of grass silage, he said. A lot of the lodged crops (crops affected by cyclones Hale or Gabrielle) have been harvested with varying success and a lot of the other summer crops have by default become “regen crops” due to weed infestations. “Weeds are rampant this year and are hiding traditional ‘holes’ in permanent pasture, smothering rape and turnip crops and smothering early planted re-grassing,” he said. Feed quality will be an issue with the best use for some grass ...