THE interest in pastures for livestock was obvious last week at the Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) pasture and livestock update in Brookton and Pingelly.
More than 70 students, researchers, farmers and industry representatives gathered at Mailrock Farm, Brookton, to hear from owners Colin and Anna Butcher on their journey of discovery with pastures and crops.
Students arrived from Muresk, The University of WA and Murdoch University.
Farmers came from far and wide to see what worked and what to look out for in their own operations.
AgVivo spokesperson Erin Gorter said the update was the fifth that Evergreen Farming had organised and was well supported.
“We are really pleased with the large attendance,” Ms Gorter said.
“There has been a lot of interest.
“There was a very good mix of students and farmers.
“The more that researchers and farmers talk together the better.”
The Butchers have about 3000 hectares of arable land with 1000ha in pasture legumes and 2000ha in cropping every year.
They run 3500 head of Dorper ewes for meat production.
Ms Butcher said they had duplex soils but mainly sandy loams.
Their crops include canola, wheat and barley, as well as export hay.
Ms Butcher said they had been supplying Gilmac with export quality hay for 20 years and were expecting to cut about 1500-2000 tonnes this year.
The day started when Colin Butcher gave an overview of the family operation.
“This farm has always been a mixed farm with crops and sheep,” Mr Butcher said.
“We’ve been getting more and more into cropping and after a while we saw the advantages of looking after pasture for nutrition for crops.
“When we started so many complications came with it.
“We needed more knowledge on how to manage pastures better and control seed set of weeds.
“Sub clovers have helped with that.
“We don’t use nitrogen at all on crops except in the initial stage.”
Mr Butcher said they regularly lime the property at 2.5 tonne per hectare.
He said this year was an ordinary winter and the first year they have had to feed their sheep.
Mr Butcher said it was a big learning curve and they were happy with the results so far.
“Hopefully we will make less mistakes as we go along,” he said.
The tour consisted of four paddocks where they had sowed serradella and biserrula and the benefits and problems they faced with it.
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) senior research scientist Angelo Loi assisted in outlining the history of the paddocks.
Mr Loi said one of the main issues they had to learn was when to run stock on it and when to leave it – so that the stock were receiving the benefits from it but not being disadvantaged.
They also reported an affect on their cropping from the nitrogen left in the soil after the stock had been through.
“We should be able to grow a crop without nitrogen the following year,” Mr Loi said.
“The money you save you can put into other areas on farm.
“Because the protein is so high it is one of the best things to grow for the sheep to finish off.”
The Butchers had been running 900 black tag ewes on the 70ha paddock.
“We put 400 in at the start and then put the rest in,” Mr Butcher said.
“Where we ran into strife in the past as we left the sheep in a week too long.”
They also had an issue with photosynthesis negatively impacting the sheep.
Mr Butcher said it was better to have some pressure on the paddock than not and from now he would rake the paddock as stubble, bale it and feed back out to sustain the ewes through the autumn period.
The third paddock showed the amount of feed available when it was not grazed all year.
The paddock was ideal for silage or feed and it was explained that there would be no difference next year with the rejuvenation.
The final paddock revealed the type of Scepter wheat crop that could be grown after serradella had been planted and its nitrogen levels were left to impact the crop.
“I’ve never seen a clover pasture grow this kind of crop,” Mr Butcher said.
The afternoon session saw the group move from the Butcher’s farm to the UWA Farm Ridgefield in West Pingelly for lunch, a series of speakers on the topics of pastures and livestock systems, a producer panel discussion consisting of three farmers and an on farm trial by Evergreen Farming and Wheatbelt Natural Resource Management.
AgVivo agricultural consultant Philip Barrett-Lennard provided valuable information on how crop grazing can improve whole farm profits.
His report, which was available on the day, outlined that “the keys to improving whole farm profits through crop grazing are to run a higher livestock stocking rate, sow crops early to provide crop biomass for grazing in late autumn and early winter when pasture is scarce, minimise grain yield penalties from overgrazing, and to graze crops with an economically responsive class of livestock”.
“If these farming system changes are not implemented along with crop grazing, whole farm profit is likely to remain unchanged or even decline, as too much crop income is sacrificed in the chase for additional livestock income,” Mr Barrett-Lennard said.
“While only anecdotal, case studies of WA mixed farmers who have adopted crop grazing suggest a very similar story.”
Phil Nichols from DPIRD discussed new varieties available to farmers in the area.
“The new varieties included sub clovers as well as Tedera - Messina sub clovers,” Ms Gorter said.
“It was a good overview of different pasture species for various soil types.”
Mr Nichols mentioned two subterranean clover varieties Tammin and Forbes.
Tammin is suited to Wheatbelt areas with 300-450 millimetre annual average rainfall.
It has seedling resistance to red-legged earth mites and is considerably more hard seeded than other varieties.
Results from trials revealed Tammin produced 11 per cent more biomass than Dalkeith, with this advantage being greater following a year in crop.
Tammin seed is expected to be available for sowing in 2018.
Forbes has been found to be suited to areas with 350-525mm average annual rainfall.
It also has a seedling resistance to red-legged earth mites and is hard seeded.
Forbes produced 12 per cent more biomass than Dalkeith over all test sites and seasons, with this advantage being greater following a crop.
Forbes seed will be available in 2019.
Messina is a new annual pasture legume species to agriculture which has a tolerance to both severe salinity and waterlogging.
The variety Neptune is recommended for saline soils prone to winter waterlogging – seed and rhizobia are available from Seednet.
Tedera is described as a highly drought tolerant perennial forage legume originating from the Canary Islands.
It grows all year round and can be used as a substitute for grain and as a maintenance feed for stock, a feed source during summer and autumn to finish prime lambs, flush ewes prior to joining, or to enable twin-bearing ewes to gain weight in late pregnancy for increased twin lamb survival.
It can also be used as a combination to feed lambs and maintain older animals.
Seed of the new variety is being multiplied by Seednet and will be available for sowing in 2019.
