From soil to sale

From soil to sale

There are tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars difference between profits of low and high performing sheep and beef farms around the country, and Ballance Agri-Nutrients Chief Executive, Mark Wynne, says the co-op is committed to doing its part to help farmers close the gap.

Ballance has signed up as a proud new sponsor of the New Zealand Ewe Hogget Competition to raise awareness of different farming systems and practices and how these impact profitability.

“This competition recognises and celebrates on farm productivity in the sheep sector, along with the blood, sweat and hard yards that go into breeding and raising lambs, managing complex farms and stock performance.

“What’s more, the competition gives farmers the opportunity to benchmark their flocks against others at both a local and national level and learn from other competitors as well as the judging panel.”

Wynne said that for the industry to succeed, farmers need to get the best out of their land.

“We know that maximising genetic potential early delivers better returns. Feed plays a big part of this, and high quality pasture starts with nutrient rich soil.

“We have a team of nearly 100 nutrient specialists around the country at the ready to work through a sustainable fertiliser plan to help our farmers with their stock performance goals.”

Wynne said that by optimising Olsen P levels, for example, farmers can support optimal pasture production which in turn supports their carrying capacity and their ability to meet live weight gain targets.

Ballance supports the New Zealand Ewe Hogget Competition as part of an impressive sponsorship group of Beef and Lamb NZ, Alliance Group, Tru-Test, PGG Wrightson, New Zealand Sheepbreeders' Association, MerialAncare, NZ Farmer, and Agricom.

Entries for this year’s New Zealand Ewe Hogget Competition are now open, and close on 20 March. Entry forms are available at http://www.nzsheep.co.nz/

ENDS

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