Light Land Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 With layouts being in vogue again I thought I’d reintroduce my layout. I’ll update as the southern hemisphere farming year moves along based loosely upon the farm I work on. Including my own thoughts with machines I’ve driven featuring on the layout so as to keep opinions realistic. ‘Eastbank’ Is the result of many years labouring on the farm as an employee before being given the opportunity to begin contract farming with the farms previous owner who was looking too retire. Leasing small areas of land to grow onions and grass fed dairy bulls on further south. While also labouring on Eastbank was valuable in developing the range of skills and capital needed leading up to farm ownership. The farm is now proudly farmed by a first generation arable farming couple (my wife and I), on the intensely farmed Canterbury Plains of New Zealand, 35 minutes south of Christchurch city. At 100 meters above sea level, this naturally productive farm of 340 effective hectares is made up of generally easy working river silt and can best be described as a free market arable farm. Maximising profit per hectare by growing high quality crops for export with the goal of maintaining the previous owner’s reputation as a grower of choice for the major merchants. In conjunction with our irrigated arable farm we contract farm 40ha of bare land a few kilometres away on behalf of a local church of which were members of. Farming the church’s investment block on a revolving lease basis that is supervised by the church council which is made up of mainly retired farmers has helped no end to build capital while getting started in previous years. These shallow early warming soils with a fine gravel subsoil are under centre pivot irrigation and are well suited to growing full season crops. At 60 meters above sea level the frosts tend to be lighter in spring than the home farm with the soils starting to hold the suns heat early; meaning crops such as maize get away well making full use of the growing season. History EASTBANK in the 80’s saw a modest amount of dry land cereals under a fully plough based system being grown with the farm supporting a flock of breeding ewes,(typical of the time). With the arrival of irrigation by the end of the 80’s the farm was growing high value export pumpkins, onions and focused on milling wheat as the main cereal as its key crops with the ewe flock reduced. With a favourable exchange rate in the 90’s and better agronomy the ewe flock was sold so the farm could cash in on the demand for specialty seed crops such as Borage and Bok Choi. The legacy of those crops still live on as part of the weed burden today. With dairy farming fast becoming the most profitable land use at the turn of the century many of the surrounding farms in the area with thinner soils were sold off to large farming company’s and converted to low input dairy farming. As some doors have closed with the crops being grown, the local dairy farms have potentially created new opportunities for the farm. Meeting demand has seen fodder beet (the fastest growing crop in area planted in NZ was introduced), and some straw being baled. Where in the past all cereal straw was burnt due to low demand and the easily compacted nature of the soils in a wet autumn. Local land Adjacent to the farm is a 250ha family run arable farm growing spring crops such as vining peas, barley, a few lines of plant breeding radish and kale combined with winter grazing lambs and dairy calves on one side of the boundary. A 420ha pasture/kale fed seasonal supply corporate dairy company milking 1800 spring calving cows borders the farm on another two sides. Above the farm is a 400ha arable farm on similar soils who made an interesting move a few years ago to value add his cereals by installing a malting plant. He is now growing almost continuous malting barley and is exporting malt to brewers in Asia. Some years they run lambs on the regrown barley stubbles and rye grass seed paddocks. Both neighbours use a mix of establishment methods from ploughing to burning/direct drilling and run Case Axial Flow combines like myself. Cropping rotations Are set by profit not tradition. I fill up the farm with the highest paying crops I’ve been approached to grow such as rye grass seed and rape seed until cropping history or quota/area stops me and work my way back towards lower paying crops. Meeting the market on the day has seen the farm trying to hit a moving target with the highest paying crops as we seek to do the highest net return per hectare. All too often opportunities are only there for a few years or the exchange rate renders a crop unprofitable. Onions are the farms casino crop with extremes in prices and high growing costs (1k pounds/ha for the seed alone). The rolling average for the crop is however higher than cereals, so the crop along with rape seed remain a constant crop. The region is currently going through a transition phase where limits on leaching into ground water are being set according to soil type and land use. The flow on effect has seen the days numbered for the once profitable option of out wintering huge herds of cattle on fodder crops grown generally on free draining soils. This has already created a demand for feed that can be cut and carried with the large dairy farms, and sent a shot over the bow of large scale potato growers who thanks to de stoners and irrigation have been growing huge crops of clean potatoes in an almost hydroponic growing medium. Lifted fodder beet and maize silage are now in heavy demand as dairy farmers unwillingly cut back production can see the writing on the wall and are moving towards systems where the slurry can be stored. Feeds such as fodder beet be then brought in. If demand continues I wouldn’t rule out more beet or possibly potatoes being grown in the future provided the return is there. With fixed costs of 150 pound/ha for irrigation alone and limited profitable crops to grow, these new regulations are going to make for some challenging times ahead for our unsubsidised agriculture. Recent cropping - 60ha Ryegrass seed for domestic use. - 30ha Fodder beet grown for a local dairy. - 20ha Double crop winter and summer vining beans for an Australian owned food processer. - 35ha Sprouting radish seed for export to China. - 25ha Plant breeding OSR for export to UK. - 100ha Spring milling wheat for a Japanese owned flour mill. - 20ha Maize grain grown for a local feed mill making stock feeds. - 40ha Plant breeding spring barley for domestic use. - 10ha Pre packed winter onions for export to Asia. Church owned land: - 20ha Maize silage. - 20ha Rye corn for milling. - Some years winter sown vining peas followed by late sown Barley or Buckwheat are grown on the contract farmed land depending on antheamyis levels amongst other things. Fodder beet, the balance of seed barley and rye grass seed, barley straw and grass silage are mainly marketed by myself through a feed forum were buyers and sellers of stock feed auction for feeds. Generally the price of feed reflects the price being paid for milk and spring pasture growth while the farms main stay seed crops are contracted through merchants. If the grass doesn’t find a home it’s ploughed under or wrapped and stored on farm till the market picks up. Onions are packed off farm at an independent pack house on the outskirts of the city close to the port. Growing winter Onions means packing is less of an issue as the pack house is not as busy and the market is generally firmer as it’s on the shoulder of the season. The main risk however is the weather as the Onions can bolt and go to seed or be lifted out by the frost or they drown after heavy rain when their small. Crop establishment This is as varied as the crops grown with a mix of European and North American tools used. Generally my preference is to get a hot fire across the paddock and zap as many weeds and slugs as possible that can then be lightly stirred and rolled as the flames are going out to trap the ash until planting time when disking or shallow ploughing will be employed depending on the next crop. With most of the crops being spring planted it’s my preference only to stir up what land is due to be drilled in the next day or so as the evaporation rates and relentless spring wind turns my tame soil in rock cakes overnight if ones not careful or mud pies in the autumn due to the clay subsoil on the home farm. Relying on the frost to break down the soil over winter has become unreliable in recent years here as the winters are tending to be wetter rather than colder. Like many growers here, we’ve reluctantly gone to ploughing once every few years in order to help protect the chemistries that are breaking down and try and halt the spread of brome grass. Farm labour Consists of Val, a Filipino national who’s spent most of his life on a Saudi Arabian mega dairy driving tractors for the maize growing division of the farm before finding his way here. More often than not we work together. James, a kiwi who works 3 days a week and lives locally has previously worked for a John Deere dealer in the workshop for many years before wanting a change of scenery as he slips into retirement. With an older well cared for fleet of tractors he spends a lot of his time pottering in the workshop doing repairs between other jobs. This arrangement works well as my tractors aren’t changed just because the ash tray is full and he tends to rub people up the wrong way. The 3 of us make up the fulltime faces on the farm. For 3 months each year over harvest we also host an exchange student often from the Nordic countries these guys work in well as their house trained and very capable drivers looking to do a few months work before going home. Due to the cropping and climate the workload is steady almost all year. The farming year. Cultivation, spraying and side dressing of Nitrogen is really just as and when it’s needed depending on the year and weather. Some cereals and maize grain are kept on farm, all plant breeding seed is taken off the combine in sealed trucks to be cleaned and exported shortly after harvest. January - Irrigation, cutting rye grass seed, Winter onions lifted. February - Irrigation, Combining of grass seed, wheat, rye, OSR. Baling straw. March - Irrigation ending. Combining of Radish, barley, wheat. Burning stubble and drilling grass asap after harvest. Loading out straw bales. April - Summer Beans vined. Spreading lime. Burning stubble. Drilling OSR. Drilling rye. May - Cutting grass silage. Drilling beans, Onions. June - Maize grain harvested.Drilling wheat July - Drilling wheat. Drying grain. Loading out grain. Lifting Beet. August - Spreading base fertiliser P.K etc. depending on the crop, drilling wheat, barley. September - Arrival of chicken manure and spreading for Maize. Drilling Radish. October - Drilling Maize, Beet. Rolling/mulching grass seed paddocks, Starting irrigation. November - Irrigation. Loading out wheat, rye. Getting ready for harvest. December - Winter Beans vined. Drilling of summer Beans. Irrigation. Inter row nitrogen for maize as late as possible. The province of Canterbury. Soil on the contract farmed land. Crops establishing on the home farm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light Land Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 A look around the main yard. Workshop, containing the busy 250hp T7000 in for a service. A big old dinosaur that shears the heavier jobs with the T7000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light Land Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 The Fastrac is charged with applying crop inputs untill the crops get to tall, at that time the sprayer is on the T7000 untill harvest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Palmer Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 oh yes Ol what a cracking start ,keep the updates coming,and give me some info on that great fastrac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light Land Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 Thank you for taking the time to look at my work. The jcb is a lcn model with a few bits stuck on, the front chemical box is just made from plastic card. The tractor is semi clean as it speeds most of it's life outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Great write up and start to your layout Ol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catkom3 Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 What a fantastic display Ol and accompanying story,the snow clad hills look brilliant as well,just had to Google that location,and was surprised to see you run four axle trucks with four axle trailers that was taken heading North on the Main South Road at the junction of Wilkinsons road and Chertsey Kyle road,I was just curious really to see if you were anywhere near my late cousins son Gordon,but he's right down the bottom at Invercargill,or my sister in laws sister,but she's way up North in Auckland, Regards Joe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05rich Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 fantastic start Ol, made better with the back story Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texas Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Great story to start your layout Ol. The layout is looking great and you live in a very nice area. Texas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tractor Twitcher Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Fantastic layout Ol, great start! Fascinating back story too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stabliofarmer Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 That's certainly a mouth full Old, interesting reading but a question about the burning, when running the tractor over the land just as the flames are going out is it known for the tyres on the tractor to become damaged with the heat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light Land Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 Great write up and start to your layout Ol Thanks Bill. What a fantastic display Ol and accompanying story,the snow clad hills look brilliant as well, Cheers Joe, yes they changed the law a few years ago so the trucks could run more axles and carry more weight,that would a common truck here now days. fantastic start Ol, made better with the back story Thanks for taking the time to look Rich. Great story to start your layout Ol. The layout is looking great and you live in a very nice area. Texas Thanks Bas, if only we had your soil though. Fantastic layout Ol, great start! Fascinating back story too. Ta David, I had thought a model farmer story on layouts from around the world would be a good idea for a story, what do you think? That's certainly a mouth full Old, interesting reading but a question about the burning, when running the tractor over the land just as the flames are going out is it known for the tyres on the tractor to become damaged with the heat? No James,the fire only burns for a few minutes once it's started. The biggest problem is the ash that wips up as your driving over it and is in turn sucked into the radiator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike R Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Nice start I love the detailing you have put in already Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordconvermad Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 Great read and it's brilliant to get a back story to the displays Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niels Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 What a great start to your layout Ol! Your world is pretty much unknown to me so it is very educational. Looking at your work scheme you are busy pretty much all year round despite the seasons? This must give some more room to spread out jobs as they don't have to be finished dead on time or does it only look like that? Some very interesting crops, makes a change from cereals. Hopefully you can show us some stuff about the more unusual onions, radish etc.. and how you get on with them in real life and both on scale. Oh and very surprised to see a Dutch GV-plate on one of your tractors!! Must have been an expensive import! However, there's quite a few Dutch (dairy) farmers over there and they seem to import plenty of machinery from Holland? Have seen various containers of new and used stuff going down under. Is it as easy for you to obtain models as it is over here or is the selection limited and do you have to wait longer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tractorboyjules1977 Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 looks brilliant ol , cant wait to see more , cracking weathering effects , me thinks makes it look more realistic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 Oh yes! Iv been waiting for this for a while, great to see it on here and looks fantastic, interesting views and machinery, by the looks of it Ol this will certainly be a hit, I'm a fan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light Land Posted October 7, 2014 Author Share Posted October 7, 2014 Nice start I love the detailing you have put in already Mike Great read and it's brilliant to get a back story to the displays looks brilliant ol , cant wait to see more , cracking weathering effects , me thinks makes it look more realistic Ta gents, kind of you to say so. Oh yes! Iv been waiting for this for a while, great to see it on here and looks fantastic, interesting views and machinery, by the looks of it Ol this will certainly be a hit, I'm a fan Like wise Alex. What a great start to your layout Ol! Your world is pretty much unknown to me so it is very educational. Looking at your work scheme you are busy pretty much all year round despite the seasons? This must give some more room to spread out jobs as they don't have to be finished dead on time or does it only look like that? Some very interesting crops, makes a change from cereals. Hopefully you can show us some stuff about the more unusual onions, radish etc.. and how you get on with them in real life and both on scale. Oh and very surprised to see a Dutch GV-plate on one of your tractors!! Must have been an expensive import! However, there's quite a few Dutch (dairy) farmers over there and they seem to import plenty of machinery from Holland? Have seen various containers of new and used stuff going down under. Is it as easy for you to obtain models as it is over here or is the selection limited and do you have to wait longer? I look forward to your thoughts on up coming pages Niels. In this part of NZ the windows for planting and harvest are wide enough to give you some wriggle room. Spreading out planting and harvest is part of our risk management plan due to the weather extremes. A late planted crop has higher costs and lower yield potential as you'd understand but if it spreads the workload and if it misses getting drowned or blown away in a gale etc etc we make more money out of it. Alot of machinery is farmer imported into the country often by the Dutch, so the jcb looks at home as my US made implerments in the yard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave the farmer Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 excellent layout.really like the back ground affect.and also what you do and when on the farm,and what crops you grow.stubble burning i remember doing that in the uk before it was banned.nothing like a good burn up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niels Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 I look forward to your thoughts on up coming pages Niels. In this part of NZ the windows for planting and harvest are wide enough to give you some wriggle room. Spreading out planting and harvest is part of our risk management plan due to the weather extremes. A late planted crop has higher costs and lower yield potential as you'd understand but if it spreads the workload and if it misses getting drowned or blown away in a gale etc etc we make more money out of it. Alot of machinery is farmer imported into the country often by the Dutch, so the jcb looks at home as my US made implerments in the yard. Wel I am glad to hear that Ol! Always good to exchange opinions on here about stuff whether it is real life farming or in scale. Can't way to see a bit more of your lay out and some field action! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdeere6910 Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Great start to the layout Ol, can't wait to see more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justy 46 Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Fine detailed layout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tractorman810 Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 always wondered where all your convos and builds went ol, know we know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light Land Posted October 8, 2014 Author Share Posted October 8, 2014 Great start to the layout Ol, can't wait to see more You don't miss much Pat Fine detailed layout. Thank you my fiat friend. always wondered where all your convos and builds went ol, know we know In the past I sold them on a kiwi ebay sort of site for 5 or 6 pound each to folk who still complained about the price or did'nt pay. Now Sean I just make bits for myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light Land Posted October 10, 2014 Author Share Posted October 10, 2014 Couple pictures depicting the transformation of a paddock from fodder beet into maize on the home farm. Last year saw the end of the farm using a set of 6mtr Kuhn discover discs with a cambridge roller in tow to brake the ground cover. With the return of ploughing a few years ago and the discs tendency to pitch when being used shallow at speed I put them towards a more suitable tool while they still had plenty of metal left on them. The local area New Holland dealer whom the farm deals with for most of it's machinery are also agents for Vadderstad,Horsch and the brand we settled on after a few demos, Lemken. With a few weeks gap between the traded set and the new set of discs arriving they were good enough to loan an early Carrier they had on the yard in return for taking our Kuhn discs right away as they had already on sold them. After lifting, the paddock coped several wet weeks in a row so received 3l/ha round up to control annual grasses before a passage with the Carrier was made. A 4mtr 7leg Great Plains subsoiler freeing up the clamp area before the carrier under a steely gray sky. The Carrier cleaned down wiating to go back. With soil tests back and before subsoiling starts to get under way the paddocks base fert is going on, enough for a realistic 12T/ha crop in 2 applications. 500kg/ha of slow release rock phosphate 0 7 0+S 110kg/ha potassium chloride 0 0 50 With a further 200kg/ha of MAP 10 22 0 going down under the seed. Once the crop is under way around 300kg/ha of urea 46 0 0 will be knifed in depending on how the crop looks in one application to kick into gear once it's got a decent root system to catch the urea. Compound fertilizers are generally only used on row crops such as maize at planting. Due to the price it's cheaper to spread straight nutrients and buy only what you need. The redundant Cousins roller that was towed behind the discs is wider than the Vadderstad roller I brought with me when taking over the farm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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