But the biggest issue has been ergot. “We’ve seen an awful lot in both wheat and barley – as much as I’ve seen in 10 years. Almost every load of spring wheat has some ergot in it.” ...

“In addition, when it comes to producing malting quality spring barley, ergot infection can lead to crop rejection. A product like Redigo Pro, which reduces germination of treated ergot particles, ...

Steve Lewis' warning follows the recent outbreak of ergot in the lower North Island affecting Rangitikei barley crops. During a hot summer about seven years ago he fed his angus cattle bailage ...

Ergot is a fungus which particularly grows on rye and related plants. It is quite easy to detect as it forms a mass of fungal tissue, black on the outside, has a white interior and can be up to 2cm ...

Harvest is now about 84% complete in the area, and quality has seriously suffered post-rain. “We had 30 loads of spring barley in on Tuesday (15 September) and only four passed for malting, due ...