THE buoyant state of the livestock market was reflected in the large turnout to a Better Pastures Workshop held in Albany last week.
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More than 60 people attended, easily exceeding organisers’ expectations.
They were there to hear an overview of a national project that started in 2012 on improving subtropical grass pastures in New South Wales and WA.
Funded by Meat and Livestock Australia, the project included strategies to increase legume content in kikuyu pasture, a topic particularly relevant to South Coast growers.
The key to the success of kikuyu is its ability to provide green feed in the summer-autumn feed gap, yet allow sub-clover to grow as a companion during winter.
As a sub-tropical grass, kikuyu actively grows in the summer months but is dormant during winter.
In addition, it is deep-rooted and stoloniferous, which allows it to dry out the soil profile and protect the soil surface respectively.
Department of Agriculture and Food WA research officer Paul Sanford said the value of clover in a kikuyu-based pasture system could provide a $40 a hectare benefit to farming systems in gross margin terms, by lifting stocking rates and reducing the use of supplementary feeding.
Mr Sanford said maintaining good clover within the kikuyu system came down to several factors.
“You need to ensure an adequate clover seed bank, maintain soil fertility, control red legged earth mite and apply sufficient grazing pressure to the kikuyu in autumn, or pre-break of season,” he said.
“Suppressing the kikuyu during the clover seed establishment is very important.
“There are chemical methods available to do this.
“Prior to the break of season, glyphosate can be applied and legume content can be increased from the existing seed bank or a legume or annual ryegrass can be planted.
“Post the break of season, use a grass selective (such as Clethodim) to help increase legume content from the existing seed bank or sow legumes after the selective.”
Mr Sanford said if sowing legumes, it appeared that drilling and not broadcasting was the most effective method.
“Trials we have conducted at Wellstead show that you get twice the seed establishment from drilling as opposed to broadcasting seed,” he said.
In terms of the trial work undertaken through the project key findings have shown that sub clover is the best companion legume for kikuyu.
Mr Sanford said in areas where there were deep sands, serradella had proven a good option.
“The project has also shown that legume content can be increased post the break of the season by using a grass selective, assuming that there is an adequate seed bank of clover already present,” he said.
“If sowing a legume into your system, suppress the kikuyu and drill the seed in don’t broadcast it.”
