Site 1 - Andrew McNab, Scott River East

Site Characteristics

Landscape:

Low lying flats with a slight rise to drier upslope

Soil Characteristics:

• Sandy
• Very Low PBI but optimum Phosphorus levels
• Potassium levels a little low
• Sulphur levels ok
• Very good Organic Carbon
• No salinity issues
• Low pH

Farming Operation

• Family farm
• Farming since 2000
• 600 Hectares of pasture
• Commercial herd of Angus Cattle and Prime Lamb Flock
• Typical winter pasture of rye grass and sub-clover

Inputs and Costs

Seeding Days

02/10/2020 and 26/10/2020

Demonstration Layout

To prepare for the demo, the site was sprayed out for weeds in early September and cultivated in September & October which resulted in a lovely seedbed. Lime was applied in September and fertiliser applied just prior to seeding. Each strip was approximately 3m wide and 360m long.

Demonstration Site Layout

Varieties Seeded

10 different varieties were seeded on 02/10/2020. The remaining 3 varieties (SSS, Sorghum and LabLab) had higher soil temperature requirements. Therefore they were seeded later on the 26/10/20 when the soil temperature measured 18C. 3 pasture quality and dry matter cuts were taken at this site over the growing season.

Seeder Logistics

A Speed Tiller was used. The seeding rates for each variety were calculated, the seed required weighed out and then due to the different size of each seed, the seeder roller settings needed to be adjusted and calibrated on each run to account for the differing sizes. After each run the remaining seed was removed and weighed to calculate actual seeding rate. The seeder was then cleaned out to avoid cross contamination of species

Site 2 - Asher Cohen, Forest Grove

Site Characteristics

Landscape:

Range of good loam soil types some wet areas

Soil Characteristics:

• Loamy Clay
• Very High PBI but very low Phosphorus levels
• Potassium levels okay
• Sulphur levels okay
• Good Organic Carbon
• No salinity issues
• Borderline pH (on the low side)

Farming Operation

• Farming since 2017
• Approximately 65 hectares
• Currently 30 cattle but increasing the herd
• Typical pastures of clover, rye, some chicory and kikuyu

Inputs and Costs

Seeding Days

05/10/2020

Demonstration Layout

To prepare for the demo, the site was cultivated twice in Sept. This site wasn’t sprayed for weeds as Asher preferred to just use mechanical cultivation for weed control. Lime was applied in September and fertiliser applied just prior to seeding. Each strip was approximately 2.3m wide and 200m long.

Demonstration Site Layout

Varieties Seeded

12 different varieties plus 2 mixes (Summer mix and a perennial mix) were seeded on 05/10/2020. Pasture quality and dry matter cuts were not taken at this site. It was an observation site only.

Seeder Logistics

A Duncan Duel Box Eco Seeder was used. The seeding rates for each variety were calculated, the seed required weighed out and then due to the different size of each seed, the seeder settings needed to be adjusted and calibrated on each run to account for the differing sizes. After each run the remaining seed was removed and weighed to calculate actual seeding rate. The seeder was then cleaned out to avoid cross contamination of species.

Pasture Cut Results - Scott River Site

The following images show the Dry Matter and Pasture Quality Data from 3 pasture cuts that were taken at the Scott River Site. Not all varieties that were grown at the demo site appear in the testing table, this is because at the time of the pasture cut there was insufficient growth to warrant a cut.

Despite the excellent seed bed preparation, Blackberry Nightshade germinated across the site. With so many species present herbicide control options were not possible. Heavy grazing was utilised as an alternative and some species were grazed harder than others. The effect of this heavy grazing was that some species did not survive the dry spell following grazing.

The species that did not survive the first graze could potentially produce a lot more dry matter when managed as an individual stand where grazing can be better controlled.

To briefly summarise the feed quality results:

• Generally broad leaf crops had higher energy, protein and digestibility than summer grasses. However, the broad leaf varieties alone may not provide a balanced diet for the animals and they most likely would need additional fibre to get that balance (perhaps including a summer grass or another fibre supplement).

• The Perennial Rye was on par with the broad leaf crops but there is data from one cut only

Note: No pasture cuts were taken from the Forest Grove Site as it was an observation only site.

Cumulative Pasture Cut Results

The below graph shows the cumulative dry matter yields of species over the three cutting times. Only chicory produced dry matter at each cut. Other species either had not survived, gone reproductive (millet) or had insufficient density to obtain a representative cut.

Soil Temperature and Rain

Table 1 graph shows the Rainfall and soil temperatures for the growing period at the Scott River site. Note the dry period between December 2020 and February 2021.

Cost/Benefit: Cost per Tonne of Dry Matter

Table 4 shows a sensitivity analysis for the cost per tonne of dry matter at various input costs and dry matter yields. Hay at $50/bale represents a dry matter cost of $150/t. Summer fodder species that can produce dry matter for less than $150/t can be considered a cost effective enterprise.

Table 2 shows the Rainfall and soil temperatures for the seeding period. The dates that seeding occurred for the Scott River Site were 02/10/2020 and 26/10/2020 and the seeding date for the Forest Grove Site was 05/10/2020. Soil temperature data suggests that seeding of temperature dependent species could have been delayed until early December, however moisture availability for germination may have been limiting at this time.

Table 3 shows the Rainfall and soil temperatures for the growing period at the Forest Grove site. Note the dry period between December 2020 and March 2021.

Summary of Year 1

Soil Temperature

Soil temperature is a key factor in successful establishment establishment of certain species. Where others can be sown earlier into moisture with no or lower soil temperature requirements.

Species that have soil temperature requirement for good establishment may need late rains to ensure establishment and growth.

Those species that can be sown into cooler soils can be planted on spring soil moisture, reducing risk of inadequate moisture for establishment.

There is also the need to consider the potential loss of existing spring production when chasing good establishment of some these. In the Scott River demonstration, 3t/ha of dry matter was produced in the first cut in early December, making up for some of the lost production from paddock preparation autumn fodder varieties.

Pest Control

Diamond Back Moth management for forage brassicas is critical. Need to consider options such as chemical and biological controls but also planting time.

Grazing

Need to consider the grazing tolerance of each variety. Some of the varieties seeded had better grazing tolerance than others Varieties that did not handle heavy grazing still have potential but just need careful grazing management.

Soil Temperature and Rain

The summer of 2021/22 was a very different season to that of the previous year’s demonstration. As shown in the results in this case study, this had quite the impact on this year’s demonstration sites.

Table 1.1 shows the 2020 summer rain and average soil temp for the area

Table 1.2 shows the 2021 summer rain and average soil temp for the area.

Cost of Production & Profitability

Cost/Benefit: Cost per Tonne of Dry Matter

*Above figures based on Silage costs of approx. $100/t DM to conserve