Last year's winner of the "best first-year pasture" category, Aaron Price, says choosing to focus on achieving quality pastures is an easy decision.
"Pasture is our cheapest feed on the farm and it's important to maximise what we get from it. And regrassing is a significant cost so we have to get the full benefit from it," says Aaron, who milks 244 cows near Morrinsville.
Te Pahu dairy farmer Noldy Rust, who won the "2015 best pasture more than three-years-old category" with an 11-year-old paddock, says the win was humbling; "I know there are many farmers around with great paddocks. It's just our good fortune we entered a good competition and won it."
AgResearch senior scientist Dr David Hume, another competition judge, says Noldy's win is a good example of how the competition is not just about producing a good pasture on the day.
"It's about doing a whole combination of things to make a pasture last a number of years," said Dr Hume.
"Noldy's paddock scored particularly well on content of ryegrass and legume and a good cultivar choice. It was well looked after in winter and summer, had good grazing residuals and good soil fertility," he said.
"It ticked all the boxes."
The competition includes two categories: Waikato/Bay of Plenty first-year pasture sown this year, and Waikato/Bay of Plenty pasture sown more than three years ago (prior to May 2013).
Prizes include two $1500 pasture renewal packages, provided by Agriseeds and Agricom.
Judging will involve a short interview about the soil fertility and the paddock's history prior to and since resowing. Management practices such as grazing management, endophyte selection, weed control and nitrogen usage will be discussed.
Entries close on November 11, with judging held during late November. Winners' field days will be held in February 2017.
