Maximise silage quality with expert tips on harvesting at the right time, using Pioneer® inoculants, proper compaction, airtight sealing, and careful storage. Preserve more nutrients and boost livestock performance.
Category: Pasture Advice
Fundamentals and ryegrass selection after a dry summer
Optimising pasture after a dry summer starts with the fundamentals. Learn how soil fertility, weed control, and ryegrass selection impact dairy farm profitability. Discover the benefits of annual vs. Italian ryegrasses for quick winter feed and long-term productivity. Read expert insights from Notman Pasture Seeds.
Unlocking better animal health safety with CM142
Peter Notman shares why we are unlocking better animal health safety with new Elevate CM142 and Stampede CM142 perennial ryegrasses
CM142, a Cost-Effective Innovation for Australian Dairy Farmers
A new ryegrass endophyte is making waves in the Australian dairy sector, offering high performance ryegrasses at a price point that makes sense for farmers. Cropmark Seeds‘ CM142 endophyte is emerging as a cost-effective solution for those seeking robust pastures with similar benefits as other advanced ryegrass endophytes in the market. Introduced in early 2025 with Australian conditions in mind, CM142 endophyte features an exclusive genetic background and optimised alkaloid levels to deliver a balance of performance, persistence, and animal safety. Its introduction with brand new ryegrasses, such as Stampede diploid perennial (see link) ensures farmers can achieve productive endophytic pastures without overextending their annual pasture budgets. Peter Notman of Notman Pasture Seeds highlights the significance of CM142 for local […]
Woody Weed Management: Late spring and summer control
Farmers are well aware that woody weeds can significantly impact the productivity and persistence of pastures long term if infested with woody weeds. Late spring and early summer presents an opportunity to tackle these weeds. Why? Timing Product such as Triclopyr Picloram, Clopyralid, Metsulfuron, MCPA750 offer effective solution for managing invasive species, providing targeted long-lasting results when used correctly. Below is a guide to understanding its features, application methods, and considerations for optimal control of spring woody weeds. Triclopyr Picloram Clopyralid Metsulfuron-Methyl MCPA750 Drift Management Post Spray Management Allow weeds to remain undisturbed for optimal results. Avoid grazing, cutting for as long as possible to ensure the chemical is fully distributed and provides complete control. Conclusion Choosing the right herbicide […]
How Ryegrass Staggers May Affect Animals
Ryegrass staggers affects livestock by causing tremors, poor coordination, and production losses due to toxic endophytes like Lolitrem-B. Even sub-clinical effects can reduce weight gain and milk yield. Learn how endophytes impact animal health and how to minimise risks.
Accelerate Gibberellic Acid – Frequently Asked Question
ACCELERATE – INCREASING WINTER GROWTH Accelerate Growth Regulant is a naturally occurring plant hormone that has been maximising pasture growth during the cooler months to deliver quality feed quantity during periods of reduced winter pasture production. By increasing the natural level of gibberellins contained in plants, Accelerate stimulates growth though cell expansion resulting in stem and lead elongation. Applications deliver accelerated growth creating significant gains in dry matter yield for up to 3 to 4 weeks provided adequate moisture and nutrition is available. BENEFITS OF ACCELERATE When should I first apply Accelerate?Gibberellic Acid will provide a benefit when the pasture production appears to be slowing due to falling temperatures. This can be as early as late April. Timing will depend on our […]
Forage Cereals – learn more on Oats, Triticale, Ryecorn and Barley
Forage cereals include varieties of oats, barley, triticale and ryecorn are a very reliable option for prolific winter and spring forage. Growth rates can vary based on the species, but generally cereals offer flexibility to any farming operation through sowing, grazing and silage or hay. Forage oats are a economic, flexible and easy to establish annual cultivar that are suited to grazing, hay, silage, pasture renovation. Popular varieties include: Cooee OatsSaia OatsWintaroo & more Forage Barley provides excellent forage for grazing, hay or silage with good feed quality. Barley has fast establishment and winter production. It is best suited to late planting situations where its quick early growth under cold conditions is an advantage over other forage cereals. MagnateDictator II Forage Triticale combines the quality […]
Cricket Bait for Victorian farmers
Cricket Bait is an insecticide treated grain product for the control of black field crickets in pasture. Black field crickets pose a insect pest threat to newly sown and established grass pastures over the late summer and autumn period. Cricket Bait is highly palatable and has a rapid knockdown effect on the target pest. PASTURE LOSSES A field population of 20 crickets/m2 could cause a pasture loss of 1600 kg DM/ha in 98 days. The actual loss in anyone season could, however, be as low as 860 kg DM/ha or as high as 2450 kg DM/ha depending on availability of feed (Blank, 1985). Severely defoliated ryegrass plants will be slow and many plant can die. Cricket-damaged pasture that do recover […]
Newer genetics growing more winter feed.
For farmers looking at ways to address feed deficits, the utilisation of newer plant genetics and diverse species has become increasingly significant during this final Autumn planting period.