Supporting maize yield

through a challenging

Waikato summer

When dry conditions made another urea application difficult to

justify, Waikato dairy farmer Brad Payne took a different

approach to supporting his maize crop.

The Payne family operates a 720-cow dairy farm in the Waikato, with around 80 hectares of maize grown across the home farm and nearby run-off. Historically, the maize crop had averaged around 25 tonnes/ha.

The Challenge

In 2019, Brad was looking for a way to manage nitrogen more strategically without losing sight of crop yield.

By the time he would normally have applied urea, conditions had become increasingly dry. There had been little rain and the Waikato was heading into what would become one of the driest summers on record.

With limited soil moisture available, Brad decided against his usual urea application and instead incorporated N-Telligent 4 Maize into the crop programme.

The Approach

The full 80-hectare maize crop received one foliar application of N-Telligent 4 Maize during the 6-9 leaf growth stage.

The application provided the crop with a combination of N.P.K, micronutrients, humates and seaweed extract directly through the leaf.

“The results across the 80 hectares were impressive. Under drought conditions we managed to produce a very respectable yield.”

The Result

Despite the challenging growing conditions, the maize crop was bulk harvested across the 80 hectares on 16 and 17 March 2020.

Individual paddock yields ranged from 24.6 to 26.6 tonnes/ha, compared with the farm's historical average of around 25 tonnes/ha. The

yield data was supported by John Austin Agricultural Contractor harvest yield maps.

Brad's experience shows how N-Telligent 4 Maize can provide another option when conditions aren't well