Evergreen Farming & MLA Pasture Updates

Mount Barker & Perth

August 2013

Paul Omodei, agVivo

“Grazing Crops to fit with the pasture system and lift whole farm profit”

What we really need to consider is:

“Grazing Crops” OR

“Cropping Pastures” OR

“Both”

Managing Tight Season’s

No silver bullets Profitability is not about the ideal enterprise mix it

is about how you manage each enterprise Combination of tools/strategies Analysis of paddock rotation and productivity Grazing Crops” OR “Cropping Pastures” OR “Both” Deferred grazing/stubbles Lifetime Ewe Management – feeding the ewe Summer sowing legumes Perennials in areas of poor productivity Historical Satellite Imagery

Why grazing crops ?

To increase whole farm profit

By increasing crop area Significant increase in cropping in medium and high

rainfall zones in last 5-10 years

By improving pasture management By improving disease/canopy management By increasing livestock numbers and performance

Why not to graze crops ?

To THINK you’ll increase whole farm profit By increasing crop area and cropping poorly

prepared paddocks By underestimating good pasture management

strategies Deferred grazing, pasture density and composition Ignoring a good crop grazing plan

By increasing livestock performance without good husbandry

By underestimating good crop agronomy

Location Crop Change in

Yield

Time of

Grazing

Type of

Grazing

Warradarge Wheat -12% Late Crash

Miling Wheat -4% Average Clip

Badgingarra Canola -3% Early Crash

Doodlakine Canola -10% Average Crash

Kellerberrin Wheat -15% Average Crash

Williams Barley +5% Average Crash

Woogenellup Barley -21% Late Crash

Woogenellup Canola -8% Late Clip

Cascades Wheat -9% Early Crash

Gibson Wheat -3% Average Clip

Gibson Barley -10% Late Clip

Key G&G messages

Little or no impact on grain yield and quality when grazing is early

Yield penalties occurred when grazing is relatively late and hard

Crops provided valuable winter grazing Difficult to quantify Lower value if no paddock crop grazing plan

Its all about Total Dry Matter (TDM)

Winter SR is driven by pasture production Where do grazing crops fit in? Do I need to graze crops? What is my rotation by paddock? What will your management decision cost and

return to you? How much do I produce? What is the historical production of my farm?

Average break early May 7800 KG TDM / Ha

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

45 21 7 7 -23 -25 -64

Jay Dale 2006 to 2012 DOB and TDM

farm TDMLinear (farm TDM)

Cereals/canola for pastures and early feed

Sow dry at 60-80 kgs/ha, early (and deeper)

Good option for low cost (own seed)

Protect young clover & grass plants

Provide density in pastures coming out of crop

Can then spray top, hay freeze standing crop for weaners or harvest grain if enough gets through.

Does it pay?

Establishment cost: Seed 60kgs @ $300/t $18/ha Fert 30 kgs Agflow @ $700/t $21/ha Seeding @ $20/ha $20/ha Total $59/ha

“Cropping Pastures” in WA

Cereals/canola for pastures and early feed

Cost per hectare approx $59, lets say $60/ha

At 60 kgs/ha sowing rate, grazing cereal should produce you an additional 2t Dry Matter per hectare in 3 months

Stock will eat 70% of this = 1.4t DM/ha utilised by the animal

Therefore $60/ha for 1.4t DM = $43/t DM or 0.5 cents/MJ o Barley – 2.2 cents/MJ o N on Pasture – 1 to 1.5 cents/MJ

o Hay – 2.1 cents/MJ (Hay @ $150/t)

Can then spray top, hay freeze standing crop for weaners or harvest grain if opportunity arises.

“Cropping Pastures” in WA

Cropping Pastures in WA – Tim Clegg Katanning 2011

Buloke barley sown dry with 60 kgs/ha K-Till

Wheat:Canola:Wheat rotation after good pasture Opportunity for early feed as weed control in crop was

very good

Grazed for 10 weeks from early June to mid August with twin bearing ewes

Good re-growth, season optimistic, decided to harvest. Sprayed fungicide & radish spray

Yielded 1.8t/ha

Barley is a good option, quick feed from later starts

Braden & Kate Johnston, Nyabing

Situated NW and NE Nyabing

60% cropping 40% stock

Average annual rainfall of 350mm

2012 275mm 190mm gs

2011 500mm 345mm gs

2010 180 mm 145mm gs

Benefits for Braden & Kate Johnston, Nyabing

Gets stock off pasture paddocks

Decreased need for hand feeding

Allows for pasture growth and

manipulation

Increases growth rate of lambs prior to

weaning

Decreased need for fungicide spraying

Decreased stubble height at harvest

Negligible yield penalty

Things to watch - Braden & Kate Johnston, Nyabing

Graze cleaner paddocks

Increase Nitrogen by 10-

20%

By grazing crops: manipulate pastures earlier

and set up predominant clover stand

returns soil tests with combined nitrate and ammonium nitrogen levels of 60 (KCI) mg/kg and OC% 1.5-2.0

Less weed burden i.e. sow early the next year.

Believes the nitrogen saving has so far been between 50-80kg/ha of urea

August 3rd 2013

$ Savings - Braden & Kate Johnston, Nyabing

Tips for Mixed Farming

Continue to select right variety for sowing date Keep the cash crop focus

Sow cereals as early as possible into clean canola or pasture rotations

Start grazing earlier to decrease risk of yield loss Manipulate legume phase with crop in mind Crop some pastures Analyse rotation paddock by paddock

Acknowledgements

Grain & Graze II Phil Barrett-Lennard, agVivo Clynton Edwards, CSBP Katanning Braden Johnston, Nyabing Tim Clegg, Katanning Simon Hill, Mindarabin

Thank you