Keys to promoting winter growth Permanent pasture is the mainstay of our pastures in South Gippsland, so maximising the performance of these pastures is of utmost importance. Timing is important in the establishment new pastures as overlooked opportunities & mismanagement can have severe impacts on long term pasture performance heading into late winter and spring with diminished DM/ha returns of quality feed. Walk pastures on a regular basis and assess how far away they are from the necessary grazing, fertiliser and weed/pest control. Common weed infestations include capeweed, chickweed, dock, erodium, flatweed, marshmallow, stinging nettle & thistles. It’s important to ensure herbicide grazing withholds are observed & impact to legumes such as clovers are taken into consideration. New pastures often […]
Tag: South West Victoria
Using Accelerate to boost pasture growth
Accelerating pasture growth Agronomists in the Western District are urging farmers to consider using Accelerate to boost pasture growth when pasture production appears to be slowing due to falling temperatures. Notman Pasture Seeds, based in Purnim, conducted approximately 80 replicated with average responses of Accelerate gibberellic acid on perennial ryegrass of 606kg DM/ha in winter and 308kg DM/ha in spring per application. Andrew Allsop, Notman Pasture Seeds, said boosting cool season growth resulted in pastures reaching optimal grazing height quicker, allowing for more frequent paddock rotations, better land utilisation and economic results. “The rapid plant growth that can occur through the use of gibberellic acid was a standout result throughout the trials for our farmers” “Along with the use of […]
Kicking off Western District pasture renovation
It has been a particularly dry start to the year in the Western District – and that has led to sustained and heavily grazed paddocks and a reduction of feed options moving into Autumn. To kick off the year Warrnambool recorded 29.2mm, 55% down on January-February average of 65mm. Terang recorded 36.8mm, 39% down on average 61mm. And Nullawarre recorded 48.4mm, 39% down on average 80.4mm. In some cases pastures won’t bounce back, so increasingly demand has risen for cheaper, quicker, home grown feed that’s still coupled with high pasture quality and palatability. The introduction of fast growing annual ryegrasses is a key component of many pasture programs especially whenever there is a need to bump-up production levels to increase […]