Fodder beet is a demanding crop but if managed properly can be extremely high yielding. Attention to detail in preparation prior to, during and following sowing is critical to ensure good results.
Fodder Beet – Sowing & Management Recommendations
P1467 Testimonial – Wayne Tymenson
Maize silage is a key driver in the high production system for the summer months on the Tymenson farm at Cora Lynn. Wayne Tymenson saw increasing dairy farmer demand for maize silage as an opportunity to increase farm income at the same time renovating peat loam paddocks. Maize silage has been used as a break crop in the summer in between wheat and potato crops. Starting with shorter season varieties in the early 2000’s, the Tymenson family experimented with mid and long season varieties. Working closely with Adam Fisher from Notman Pasture Seeds, Mr. Tymenson said they decided to settle on the proven mid season variety Pioneer P1467. Mr Tymenson said he had moved back to a mid-season variety to […]
Combating Winter Grasses
Preventing winter grass establishment is a key component in maximising the performance or your pastures.
LATE SOWING TOPS 10 TONNE OF SILAGE
A FARM VISIT with NEIL THROCKMORTON When you farm at Woorarra East in the hills behind Toora with a 1200mm annual rainfall, the 625mm annual rainfall of Yarram over the last ten years is comparatively dry. For the Throckmorton family they affectionately refer to their recently purchased 150ha outblock south of Yarram as the Gobi Desert. “The fortnight before we purchased it we applied 2&1 fertiliser, and it just went brown. It was nothing to do with the fertiliser, it was just a very dry season” said dairy farmer Neil Throckmorton. Purchased in September 2015, Mr Throckmorton said the property was “Totally unimproved, tussocks, stunted growth and low fertility”. “Our focus was to improve the property so we could grow […]
Lucerne Flea Control
Have you noticed Lucerne Flea in your pasture and crops this season? It’s characterised by ‘springing up’ in the air when pasture or crops are disturbed.
2016 Maize Workshops
Dairy farmers wanting to optimise their maize crops are invited to Gippsland Maize Workshops in Maffra & Foster this September. The workshops will assist farmers to plan and manage their maize crops over the season, picking up on opportunities and risks each step of the way. Farmers from across the region have expressed interest in growing these crops as a way of driving higher water use efficiency on farm and as an option to rehabilitate badly pugged pastures. The workshops will focus on: Why grow maize? Setting your yield goals Optimising your inputs & costs Planning & Preparation In-crop management issues and solutions Fertiliser Requirements Harvest Management and, Critical Issues Peter Notman who works closely with farmers said in a tight year […]
History of Walcha Dairy (2007-2013)
Written by Peter Notman November 18, 2013 Birth of Australia’s top dairy – 1150 to 1217 metres above sea level. In early November 2007, I traveled to Armidale to talk at the Purkis Rural conference. Whilst there Rob Eccles suggested I have a look at Fred & Barbara Mulligans Dumby Park farm around 1200 acres just 16 km south of Walcha. That Saturday Rob sent myself out to measure some trials at John & Jules Cordingley Topdale property, 50 km south of Walcha. There was plenty of grass growing, so I thought there was potential for the area. On the way back to Walcha, I stopped at what he thought was the Dumby Park property and inspected it from Thunderbolts […]
A farm visit with Dave Barry
A farm visit with Dave Barry, Labertouche August 22 2016 With our calving pattern we have a big requirement for late summer and autumn feed, so Chico delivers a large amount of quality feed when we need it most. Chico give us the extra feed in autumn and assists us to create our own autumn break. We began growing Chico fourteen years ago with the aim to get the most out of the 22ML of water available in the best processes that are by home cleaning fort collins on our farm at Labertouche. We were originally irrigating summer pastures, however the results were only average with the pasture suffering from rust and plant pulling. Each year I plant 10ha of […]
Chico Chicory – a proven champion
A farm visit with Andrew Gaul – Bona Vista dairy farmer “In the thirteen years we have grown chicory we have naturally had dry years, but the year on year reliability of Chico has been proven to be a real champion” There was often a dramatic need for extra feed during the autumn months, so in 2003 I began planting Chicory. As the 350 hectare farm being mostly red soil it was hard to grow home grown feed at that time of year. Back then we planted full paddocks of chicory at a time from early to mid-September. The chicory grew really well, and with this spring planting and moisture available we would often be grazing within seven weeks of […]