BWBL PHONE SEMINAR - 'GETTING VALUE FROM LUCERNE'
WHEN: Wednesday 18 August 2010
WHERE: On a phone near you
TIME: 1.00pm
The next BWBL phone seminar will look at how to get the best value from including lucerne in the farm system. Lucerne is recognised as a valuable plant high in feed quality but is not suited to all soil types and needs careful management for persistence and can be expensive to establish. Given its seasonal growth, it is worth considering how best to use it as part of a system to get the best returns.
Low rainfall cropping grazing systems- Kieran Ransom (DPI Bendigo) has worked with local producers for many years on how to incorporate lucerne into a cropping/grazing system for top returns and will talk about the costs and risks, impacts on the growing season, what works and why, potential returns and tips on establishment.
High rainfall grazing systems - Ralph Behrendt, Project Manager for EverGraze, will talk about incorporating lucerne in the higher rainfall areas, how it fits, the value and potential returns using results from Evergraze trial sites.
This seminar is about making decisions on whether to sow lucerne and if so, how it can be best utilised for good returns. We won't cover cultivar selection or detailed establishment given time constraints but we could run a future session on this if enough interest, so let us know.
Look Out - A brief round the state animal production and health alert will finish the seminar - David Rendell, Robert Suter, ParaSite and Gippsland.
To register for this phone seminar phone 03 5355 0520 a copy of the presentations will be forwarded to you once registered.
PERSISTENT PERENNIAL PASTURES FOR DRY CLIMATES
WHEN: 20 August 2010
WHERE: Starting at John Kelly's property and finishing at Andrew Walta's property
TIME: 9.00am finishing at 3.00pm a BBQ will be provided for a gold coin donation on the day
The Euroa Grazing Group in partnership with DPI, MLA, SPS and BWBL is demonstrating the productivity, persistence and profitability of five perennial pasture species in comparison to grazing crops and an unimproved control.
The five species include Landmaster phalaris, Yarck cocksfoot, Uplands cocksfoot, Flecha winter active tall fescue and Exceltas perennial brome. Productivity is also being measured in Banquet ryegrass, annual ryegrass, chicory, forage brassicas and ryecorn in adjacent paddocks to the trial plots. Plots are rotationally grazed with weaner steers and heifers gains are being recorded.
Come and see the first year of results on the two farms with differing paddock preparation and soil types.
For more information and pictures of the trial, see the newsletters and reports at http://bestwoolbestlamb.com/groups/item/euroa_grazing/
RSVP to Kate Sargeant by 15th August on 5735 4352 or 0428 325 318
