Niall laffan

RAGT NZ Forage Solutions Specialist 🇳🇿🥬☘️Irish & Tipperary man working in Canterbury, New Zealand 🌾 Interested in all things Agriculture!

[Niall laffan @Nialllaffan]

@Walsh50Brendan Disappointing really, NZ dairy systems dealing with dry events every year. Turnips/rape and even grazed fodder beet helping to get over summer/autumn droughts. Tall fescues pastures now very common too. A lot can be learnt from kiwi farmers on low cost regular drought management

[Niall laffan @Nialllaffan]

@ArableSam It’s only an hour from base in Christchurch so pretty handy to get into some cool country 🤣

[Niall laffan @Nialllaffan]

Nice to get out of the office at the minute to show our Aussie neighbours the NZ high country this week! 🏔️Impressive to see how our different forage species fit into different farming systems here. Big sheep, deer and beef operation we are on here!

[Niall laffan @Nialllaffan]

@ArableSam Nope just up into the rakaia gorge, mid Canterbury!

[How many days since Mayo last won Sam? @howlongmayo]

0 days

[Colin Tyner @colin4761]

After 5 yrs break and chemotherapy treatment, we're back.

[Niall laffan @Nialllaffan]

@JerryMoloney1 @1noeloconnor Jerry it would a good idea. Barley even a slightly better option feed value wise. 50kg / acre of cereal plus strong full rate of grass/clover as that’s going to be your main crop. 7-9t DM/ha of a cereal silage crop.

[Niall laffan @Nialllaffan]

@brianjcorr1 Looks like it will be at canopy closure by the longest day! 👍🏻

[Niall laffan @Nialllaffan]

Nearing the end of fodder beet crop sowing season here in Canterbury, drills starting to finish their 24/7 shifts the past few weeks. Higher ground like this here always gets left till last. Easy see why when there was snow when I was up this time last week! 🚜

[Niall laffan @Nialllaffan]

Drills flat out the past few weeks, typical spring powerful Nor’wester winds drying out soil all around Canterbury! ☀️💨Easy see how soil loss can be a huge problem here! Paddock of RGT Savvor Red clover for a lamb finishing system with the hunter hills in the background! 🍀🐑

[Sandra Hayes @shayesSandra]

Local Teagasc advisor John Brophy discussing winter finishing diets with the Byrnes. However Peter stresses he gets most of his weight gains from getting the cattle out in early February and getting as many days as possible at grass

[Niall laffan @Nialllaffan]

@jhealyq Rust fungal disease! Common over winter too at times and the odd summer.

[Niall laffan @Nialllaffan]

@ClarksonsFarm1 It’s hard not to like Jeremy Clarkson.

[Niall laffan @Nialllaffan]

Up the Canterbury back country last week or so checking out crops prior to winter grazing. Our RGT Greenland rape performing well, winter of the local winter feed comp this year for best Rape. If I took this picture this week it could have a lot of snow on the mountains! ❄️🥶🐏

[Niall laffan @Nialllaffan]

Big kale crops back in between the mountains on the banks of the Rakaia gorge, NZ 🗻🥬 Crops often as good as what’s grown on irrigated flat Canterbury land due to some rain off the mountains throughout the season!

[Harry McNulty @mcnuts_]

The Irfu see the Ireland men’s 7s team as a financial burden and not a genuine pathway.

In reality, the Irish men’s 7s program brings in the most external investment in the IRFU behind the men’s XV.

This video is to inform and to bring clarity to the current situation.

1/7

[Niall laffan @Nialllaffan]

Autumn time in Nz, snow after getting dumped on the alps! 🏔️Still plenty of days of sunshine! Winter feed comps well underway around the South Island to find the better yielding and quality crops about before winter hits! ❄️🥬 Nice to get out and about to do some measuring 🚜

[Niall laffan @Nialllaffan]

@odonovandenism Mostly grazing and less multi-cut silage. Depends on the variety. Hybrids classed as short rotation (3 years) - long rotation (up to 5 years) so all depends on the requirement of the system!

[Niall laffan @Nialllaffan]

@odonovandenism Cool stuff, reckon hybrids under utilised at home! Great use of them here in NZ.