Tag: Notman Pasture Seeds

Step by step guide to establishing Chicory forage crop

Chicory premium forage option that supports exceptional animal nutrition, offering a balanced protein-to-energy ratio. It is low in fibre, promoting improved live weight gains and enhanced milk yield in dairy cattle, while delivering excellent performance outcomes for grazing livestock. Selecting the Right Type The first step in choosing a chicory variety is to identify its role in the pasture system. Whether you need a perennial type for longer-term use or a bi-annual variety for shorter durations will influence the selection process, helping to narrow down the options. The longevity of perennial chicory depends on factors like soil fertility, pest and disease management, environmental conditions, and how well it is maintained. Spring Sowing Advantages Chicory establishes rapidly in warm soils with […]

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 […]

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 […]

Since We Were A Century – Notman Pasture Seeds

Since We Were A Century – The Poowong Community 1974-1999 Compiled for the 125th Anniversary Celebrations of Poowong Township Notman Seeds By Peter & Elaine Notman This business specializes in supplying high quality pasture and cropping seeds along with advice regarding management. We commended our business in 1990 at the dairy farm sown Ogilvy’s Lane. This business started, like many other businesses, with a handful of clients in pre-existing small shed where the seeds was carted in and out of the shed by hand and the inoculating of clovers was done in an old bath tub. Slowly the business started to expand and the area we serviced began to expand also. In 1996 the business was shifted to Nyora Road […]

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 Notman Seeds

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 […]

Winter grass control – a multi pronged approach

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