A panel of four croppers gave an outline of their livestock operations to about 150 farmers attending the first joint field day by the Foundation for Arable Research (Far) and Beef + Lamb NZ (B+LNZ).
Longfield farmer Hamish Marr, whose family property was near Methven, said animals, unlike crops, were not at risk of damage from hail, frost or wind storms.
Longfield winters 800 dairy cows as well as grazing 600 dairy heifers.
As the Marrs specialise in cocksfoot seed production, which is shut from grazing in June, compared with October for ryegrass, it was difficult to buy lambs and have them finished by then.
"Some years we made money, but a lot of years we didn’t," he said. Instead, they changed their policy and now graze 4000 lambs for another farmer. Longfield has 400ha of arable crops, including cocksfoot, process peas, wheat, barley and red clover as well as 100ha of pasture.
Twin cropping rotations are based around cocksfoot seed production with the other on pasture, and a five-year rotation around both.
"There is not a lot of chemical resistance in Mid Canterbury yet, but it is coming.
"Pasture and animal integration lengthens our rotation and the longer the cropping rotation, the greater exposure to different modes of management," Mr Marr said.
Westerfield farmer Darryl Oldham said he initially grazed dairy cows in winter at their 200ha family property, but for environmental reasons went back to lambs which provided a lot of flexibility around the timing of buying and selling.
Panel speaker Tom Fraser said farmers should think about forming long-term supply and grazing relationships with sheep farmers.
"A lot of hill country farmers struggle to rear their ewe hogget replacements, so like to send them to grazing in autumn and bring them back in spring."
Mr Marr said farmers had to be prepared to compromise in grazing relationships.
"You can’t go in thinking you will win every time; there has to be mutual benefit for both. Those people are there. Ask the agents about people wanting hogget grazing or a permanent solution to getting rid of store stock."
Far senior environment researcher Abie Horrocks said New Zealand arable growers had some of the most diverse crop rotations in the world.
Compared with overseas, New Zealand’s arable soils are in better condition because rotations that include livestock can support restorative crops, such as ryegrass, that build soil organic matter.
In addition to soil quality, nutrient cycling and cashflow, there are other reasons why arable growers have livestock. They include weed control, natural tillering to manage the height and bulk of grass seed crops, managing crop residues and fitting rotations.
A Ministry for the Environment report estimates pastures hold 109 to 138 tonnes of carbon per hectare and cropping soils 90 t/ha. This compares with 10 t/ha for some overseas cropping soils.
"This reflects the diverse rotations in the New Zealand arable system and frequent inclusion of restorative phases," Mr Horrocks said.
As new environmental and greenhouse gas emissions regulations come on-stream, regulators need to be well-informed of the role livestock plays in an arable farming system.
"If soil quality declines, more fertiliser and irrigation may be required," he said.
"Removing livestock from mixed rotations may have an unintended consequence of increasing pesticide use and if weeds become more problematic as a result it could introduce a risk to the production of weed and disease-free pure seed lines. Quality seed lines are the ultimate driver in an arable business."
Far productivity and value research leader Richard Chynoweth said grazing was always beneficial for ryegrass seed production as it increased seed head numbers and prevented plants from collapsing.
"For example, in Italian and annual ryegrass if you don’t graze or defoliate you can expect 20% less in terms of seed yield."
It also can reduce application rates for plant growth regulators, herbicides and fungicides.
There were many opportunities for grazing early-sown ryegrass crops, as well as after their harvest. The closing of ryegrass paddocks for seed production depended on cultivar heading dates, but was purely a New Zealand term as these crops were not grazed by livestock overseas, he said.
North Canterbury Vets Clinics veterinarian and Wormwise facilitator Sarah Williams said drench resistance was now common and about one-third of sheep farms had worms resistant to all three drench families.
She said the main risk for arable farmers with buying in animals was resistant worms.
Farmers were advised to avoid unnecessary drenching and to develop an animal health plan with their vet as no new drench families were coming and research and development spending in this area was declining, she said.
"Start developing systems that are not reliant on drenches," she said.
