Plantain, Plantago lanceolata, is a common pasture plant, and various cultivars have been developed. It can be grown on its own or mixed with clover or with rye grasses. It's not too fussy about soil nutrients, but will not tolerate being waterlogged.
It handles dry periods better than ryegrass, though the dry can make it fibrous and less palatable. It can be either direct drilled or broadcast sown. Direct drilling is more expensive, but gives better results.
Plantain will last three to five years in pasture if it is managed well, DairyNZ developer Phillipa Hedley told the group.
It reduces nitrogen leaching in four ways. One is that it is more coarse and fibrous than grass so cows drink more water when eating it and the nitrogen in their urine is more diluted.
Although plantain contains as much nitrogen as rye grass, there is also less that comes through in urine, due to an unknown action inside the cow's digestive system.
Thirdly, there's something about it that slows the conversion of ammonium from urine into nitrates, giving plants more time to take it up and use it. And fourthly, plantain plants have dense and fibrous roots that simply take up more nitrogen.
The higher the percentage of plantain in pasture, the higher the reduction in leaching. Some of the best results have been when dilute urine falls on pasture of plantain paired with deep-rooted and fast-growing Italian rye grasses, which "mop up" nitrogen well. Nitrogen leaching can be reduced by 89 per cent then.
Farmers asked whether this difference can be measured by the Overseer computer model. It can't at the moment, but Horizons policy and regulation manager Nic Peet wants a way of calculating the difference very soon.
Farmers were invited to join a working group to increase their use of plantain. They could join as individuals or as a whole catchment.
Farm's chequered history
Right at the bottom of the Rangitīkei catchment, Ferryview Farm borders a wetland and takes on extra water when the river is in flood.
It's 380ha and was the original farm owned by race driver Chris Amon's family. In Amon's time it probably had dry stock as well as dairy cows, manager Alistair Robertson said.
Amon sold the farm to Bill Jamieson, who developed it for dairy and put in an 80-bail rotary milking shed.
Then the farm was one of 16 in the North Island bought by the Crafar family, who at one stage owned 18 dairy farms and 20,000 cows. They expanded rapidly and faced many prosecutions, with one regulator labelling them "the poster boys for dirty dairying".
In 2009 they went into receivership and after a long process and lots of debate the Overseas Investment Office approved the sale of their 16 North Island dairy farms to Chinese owners.
They are the Theland Farm Group, part of Milk New Zealand Holding Ltd and the larger Dakang New Zealand Farm Group Ltd.
Ferryview Farm now has a herd of 1040 calving cows, mainly Friesian, and supplies milk to Fonterra. There are six staff, in houses and single quarters.
The farm is essentially run for profit, Robertson said, and the owners are looking to grow their asset.
He has a five-year plan for the place, and likes a challenge.
The land has dry, sandy patches and is 70 per cent irrigated. But the main challenge is the extra water that ends up there in high rainfall periods, when water is drawn off the Rangitīkei River and into Amon's Drain.
There is already some plantain in the pasture, and Robertson can confirm it doesn't like the wet.
