Foliar nutrition delivers results
Having grown up on Barnsdale Farm, Arable Farmer Ed White says he could not imagine following any other career path. He is the fifth generation of the White family to be working the land in Makaretu, Central Hawke’s Bay, having taken over the farm’s management from his parents in 2004.
The family business is split into two, with Ed managing the arable and lamb finishing operation set on 800 ha while his brother oversees the operation of two dairy units.
Barnsdale Farm grows 700 ha of arable crops including wheat, maize, beans, oats and sunflowers. Wheat and beans are grown in winter, followed late in the season by oats. Wheat is sown again in spring, along with maize and sunflowers. To feed the lambs, Ed grows oats, brassicas and annual ryegrass.
The White family has been a customer of PGG Wrightson for as long as Ed can remember. For the past four years he has been supported by Technical Field Representative Joseph Watts. Completing regular leaf tests on his crops, Ed and Joseph noted the wheat and barley were deficient in nutrients magnesium, copper, manganese and zinc. To help correct these deficiencies,
they decided upon YaraVita Gramitrel.
“Often, the limiting factor to growing a good crop is the nutrient in the lowest supply,” explains Joseph. “Therefore, it is important to identify these nutrients and correct them so the crop can reach its potential.”
“We decided the best way to do this was to apply YaraVita Gramitrel two or three times over the crop’s life as it is an effective multi-nutrient product.”
Applied foliarly, Joseph says YaraVita Gramitrel is generally applied in a tank mix as part of the regular fungicide or herbicide programme, making it a cost and time-efficient product to use.
Having used YaraVita Gramitrel for several seasons now, both Joseph and Ed have noticed pleasing results. Leaf tests taken throughout the crop’s life have shown that applications of the product have corrected any nutrient deficiencies in the wheat and barley.
Ed appreciates the support he receives from Joseph and the wider PGG Wrightson team, including Technical Specialist in Agronomy, Gary Bosley as well as the Waipukurau store team.
“Gary has been visiting on-farm for the past eight seasons offering me advice on spray timings and products. I value this support, particularly around the suitability of using newer chemistry on my crops,” says Ed.
“Joseph assists me with forming spray programmes and helps me monitor the crops for insect pests and disease. The research he does into recommending the right products to use, adds value to my business. Plus, having a PGG Wrightson store close by in Waipukurau makes ordering and collecting products easy.”
SPONSORED BY YARA
