ASHEEP pitched a Pasture Variety Trials project in Meat and Livestock Australia's (MLA) 2019 round of funding for producer demonstration sites. The project has been accepted and is off to a good start with South East Agronomy Services sowing the first two of three trial sites in the last week.
The project will run over a five year period, comparing different varieties of pasture (annuals and perennials) across a range of soil types. In the first two years of the project we will run smaller trials and then progress to commercial scale demonstration sites. By identifying the most suitable varieties for the environment we aim to enable producers to identify opportunities to increase productivity.
Salmon Gums site freshly sown, 06/04/2020.
Sites have been selected to cover a range of soil types and rainfall zones, as well as having good access to visit for field days.
Site 1: Salmon Gums RM4 Vetch, Planet Barley, Tetila Ryegrass, Lucerne, Biserrulla, Bladder Clover, Snail Medic, SU Tolerant Medic, Balansa Clover Cobra, Cavalier Medic, Illablo Wheat.
Site 2: Grass Patch RM4 Vetch, Planet Barley, Tetila Ryegrass, Lucerne, Biserrulla, Bladder Clover, Snail Medic, Sub Clover, Illabo Wheat, Grazing Brassica, Balansa Clover Cobra.
Site 3: Neridup Vetch, Planet Barley, Tetila Ryegrass, Lucerne, Panic, Sub Clover, Illabo Wheat, Grazing Brassica
Contact ASHEEP if you would like more information on this project. ASHEEP members will be provided with regular updates and the sites will be showcased at future field days.
Grass Patch site being sown, 03/04/2020.