More Waitaha Canterbury farmers have been experimenting with hay bale grazing this past winter in a bid to minimise pugging and retain soil nutrients and structure.

The practice has been endorsed by Bioeconomy Science Institute (formerly AgResearch) soil scientist, Ross Monaghan, who led the Soil Armour study finding cows wintering on hay bales and pasture caused less soil damage compared to stock grazing on crops.

“There’s been a growing interest in alternatives to crop and exploration into pasture-based wintering approaches. This is a continuation of farmers trying to get away from mud,” Ross said.

How hay bale grazing works