12/20/10
Extreme AR37 - "It's certainly up with the best"
Having ryegrass pastures wiped out by porina in less than six months prompted Marlborough dairy farmer Tony Sorenson to sow Extreme perennial ryegrass with AR37. Tony farms two neighbouring dairy units milking a total of 650 cows at Okaramio Valley, near Havelock.
About 15 hectares of Extreme perennial ryegrass with AR37 was sown on the two farms in autumn 2007 and is still going strong. "It's been good. It's certainly up with the best." In the past, the farm has been attacked by a double cycle of porina, with the pest hatching twice a year in spring in addition to the more usual autumn infestations.
The production of Extreme perennial ryegrass has also impressed Tony. "It's mainly in the early spring when we see the biggest difference, with growth leaping ahead of other grasses when the soil temperature is still low.
