Three new velvetleaf sites in the North Island, including two in the Waikato, are a wakeup call for all farmers ahead of crop harvest.

The source of the new velvetleaf infestations, which are on dairy farms in Ōtorohanga and south of Auckland, were all traced back to the purchasing of contaminated maize silage or machinery that had been brought on-farm.

North Island Velvetleaf Coordinator Sally Linton, who is employed on behalf of the North Island regional councils, Auckland Council and the Foundation for Arable Research, says any farmer that harvests or buys crops risks inviting this most invasive pest plant onto their property – to their detriment.

“This is a wakeup call to all farmers that buy in feed, particularly maize silage, or hire contractors to harvest,” says Sally. “Know where your crop feed has come from; expect your contractors to have clean machinery and that they know the properties they worked prior to yours did not have velvetleaf on them.”

Velvetleaf, which is spread by machinery or via contaminated maize, is now found on 108 properties in nine regions of the North Island: 63 in the Waikato, 21 in Auckland, 15 in Manawatū-Whanganui, three in Hawke’s Bay, two in Wellington, and one each in Northland, Taranaki, Gisborne and Bay of Plenty.

Sally Linton says the issue is that farmers buy maize from all over the country and even internationally, often sight unseen, and contractors who harvest crops often work multiple properties across large areas.

“To be honest, no farmer that crops is free from risk – and that is the message we need to get out.

“You can’t insure against biosecurity risk, but you can be vigilant.

“A velvetleaf incursion will impact your future farm management.”

Velvetleaf was first found in New Zealand in the early 2000s, with infestations of the cropping weed mostly concentrated around Auckland and Waikato. Its prevalence was exacerbated by the fodder beet incursion of 2016/17 and there is now at least one infected property in every region of the North Island.

Overseas, velvetleaf has been reported as causing an up to 70 per cent reduction in crop yields by outcompeting crops for nutrients, space and water.

Landowners are responsible for destroying velvetleaf, which is an unwanted organism under the Biosecurity Act, and all machinery leaving an infested property must be cleaned.

Suspected sightings of velvetleaf should be reported to your regional council or Sally Linton sally.linton.nz@gmail.com.

© Scoop Media