Notman Pasture Seeds, in collaboration with Cropmark Seeds, proudly unveils Rampage, a brand new short-term ryegrass tailored specifically for Gippsland farmers After five years of meticulous development and rigorous dryland trials at Ellinbank, as well as extensive evaluations in New Zealand, Rampage emerges as the epitome of excellence all round production including its exceptional ability to maintain leafy, high growth well into late spring and early summer, presenting farmers with an extended period of lush growth and continue quality production. “Rampage is the culmination of our dedication to meeting the diverse needs of Gippsland farmers seeking superior homegrown feed for longer into the spring and summer” remarked Peter Notman of Notman Pasture Seeds. “We believe Rampage is the all round […]
Category: Pasture Advice
Ryegrass staggers? Our top management tips
Throughout south east Australia, perennial ryegrass has stood as a vital component of pasture systems, offering a rich source of high-quality feed through Autumn to early Summer. However, its symbiotic relationship with endophytes can lead to a condition known as perennial ryegrass staggers or toxicity in grazing animals. This presents a significant challenge for farmers, particularly during late summer and autumn when the risk of staggers peaks. Fortunately, advancements in endophyte research has yielded some promising solutions to reduce lower levels of alkaloids and thus reduce the likelihood of ryegrass staggers. Endophyte technology has advanced significantly since the 1980s with plant breeders such as Cropmark Seeds and DLF Seeds continuing to help develop novel endophytes that provide long-term pasture persistence […]
Spring sown pasture tips
Enhancing your perennial pastures with spring oversowing in September and October whilst sufficient soil moisture is available for emerging seedlings is a common practice for south east Australian farmers looking to drive more production. Here Notman Pasture Seeds explores the advantages, disadvantages and in-depth suggestions on optimising spring sown pasture. Spring sowing advantages Spring sowing disadvantages Enhance harvest density and quality Improve silage and hay DM yields with spring sown italian ryegrasses such as Surge Italian Ryegrass. Over sowing with fast establishing italian ryegrasses provides exceptional yield, and luscious leaf growth. Surge is ideal in this scenario this September as it will improve pasture density when it comes time to harvest for silage & hay. And with soil temperatures & daylight […]
Combating winter grass in perennial pastures
As we move into late autumn and early winter, a range of winter grasses and broadleafed weeds begin to germinate in our pastures. Light green in colour with tufted growth habit and seeding from late winter throughout spring and early summer, Poa Annual matures quickly and seeds profusely making them an agressive weed difficult to control. Grazing or mowing is ultimately ineffective in their control as they begin to choke up your pastures. Preventing winter grass establishment is a key component in maximising the performance or your pastures. As you can see by the images below: WINTER GRASSES TRIAL Using Scanner 500 herbicide, Notman Pasture Seeds trialed its effectiveness on winter grasses last season here at Larnder. As you can see there […]
Why combine Diploid & Tetraploid ryegrasses in mixes?
Diploid ryegrasses have two sets of chromosomes per cell, compared to a tetraploid which has four. Diploids combine yield and robustness whilst Tetraploid’s are extremely tasty and palatable. Blends of diploid and tetraploid ryegrasses can achieve a more balanced pasture on your farm. The high sugars and leafiness of tetraploids combined with the persistence and standability of diploids makes an ideal blend with the best of both worlds. For example, combining ryegrasses such as Matrix SE (a diploid) and Base AR37 (a tetraploid) in a perennial ryegrass blend delivers high levels of dry matter production, improved balance of quality feed, high levels of persistence and grazing flexibility. We offer blends of diploid and tetraploid ryegrasses such as Vatbuster, Megabite, Winterbite […]
Weed control in new pasture
Weed Control in Pasture – the importance of controlling weeds early. Planning a weed control programme for new grass will help you grow strong, healthy and persistent pasture. TOP TIPS IMPACT Short term: Seedling weeds vigorously compete for nutrients, moisture, light and most importantly, space. Early removal of these weeds allows for more rapid and even establishment resulting in an increased amount of dry matter for your stock. Long term: Poor establishment of newly sown pasture results in a decrease in pasture productivity and an increase in chemical costs from the extra weed control requirements down the track. PRE GRAZING Ideally, you need a herbicide that will not damage the newly established pasture while providing effective weed control. SPRAY GRAZING Spray grazing is an excellent and […]
Wet silage, get it better
With wet weather conditions around delaying silage harvest Peter Notman discusses silage tips and why it is important now more than ever to use a 1174 (bale silage) or 11G22 (pit silage) inoculants. So now really is the time to focus on how to make the best possible silage from what is available in the paddocks. With on the most part wetter crops, they’ll need more lactic acid to bring down the pH to create stable, palatable silage. The risk of soil contamination is also higher in these conditions which further increases the risk of spoiled silage. THE SILAGE DILEMMA GET YOUR SILAGE BETTER – OUR TIPS AIM FOR A CLEAR CUT RAISE THE CUTTING HEIGHT FORECAST FOR RAIN? BALE […]
Stamina grazing tolerant lucerne varieties
In our experience in grazing Lucerne is generally grown on sites that will not support good stands of permanent pasture year round due to lack of summer moisture and or poor soil moisture holding profile. High yielding lucerne provides 3 to 4 and sometimes even 5 cuts per year and it will persist for at least 4 years and in some cases has been known to continue good high quality production for up-to 5 or 6 years. It is extremely robust with exceptional drought resistance due to its deep roots which often reach deep throughout the soil profile, which is ideal for farms that dry out significantly over summer. Why is drought tolerant? Lucerne relies on stored energy (carbohydrates) in its root […]
Renewing pugged pastures
After what most Gippsland farmers would consider a normal rain sodden winter, paddocks across the region have become saturated to a point that it has led to severe pasture damage, and recovery will depend on a number of factors when planning what strategies you may wish to take. Gippsland farmer and owner of Notman Pasture Seeds Peter Notman has provided some tips for repairing pugged pastures. Pugged pasture re-sowing options We have observed a large amount of successful spring grass sowing during our 30 years in the field when there is good planning, timing, seed soil contact and fertility. The spring pasture re-sowing window is short, so as soon as soils are dry enough to get machinery on the re-sowing […]