Two field days are being held in Tasmania’s Midlands this week (21-22 November) to help local farmers increase the productivity of their pastures.
More than 50 people are expected to attend across the two days, with events in Longford and Woodbury.
The events are being delivered as part the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture’s (TIA) 'Growing red meat productivity through the selection and establishment of perennial legumes’ project, which is funded by MLA Donor Company and TIA.
The field days will include presentations from TIA pasture researcher, Dr Rowan Smith, soil health consultant, Robin Tait (R.J Tait Consulting) and livestock research scientist, Gordon Refshauge (NSW DPI).
Dr Rowan Smith said the proportion of perennial legumes in dryland pastures in Tasmania is currently low (12-15%), which limits profitability and productivity.
“We want to help farmers increase the legume component of their mixed pastures to 20-25%,” Dr Smith said.
“Our experiments have focussed on the establishment phase of legumes in mixed pastures and how best to advantage legumes.
“This has included sowing methods that separate the legume and grass seed spatially, rather than having them along side grasses in the same row.
“We have also expanded our evaluation of strawberry clover. Initially we were screening germplasm for waterlogging tolerance. However, strawberry clover has also shown impressive persistence under dryland conditions in a six year old experiment at Cressy. It seems to be quite adaptable and may have a good fit in mixed pastures with variable rainfall patterns.”
The team are working closely with local red meat producers to ensure the findings are relevant and valuable.
“The Involve and Partner aspect of the project takes known pasture species and sowing techniques onto farm for producers to trial themselves, alongside their existing methods. The project team assist with sowing and then monitor and compare methods,” Dr Smith said.
“It also gives us the opportunity to learn from farmers, identify barriers to adoption, and extend their knowledge to other farmers.
“Getting farmers together for events like this is key for us. It gives people the chance to learn about the research and see other producers implementing interventions on farm. Farmer to farmer learning is very impactful.”
The field days will include a paddock walk of pastures, including high legume, irrigated and dryland mixed pastures.
Presenters:
- Dr Rowan Smith (TIA) will share the latest research findings and lead a paddock walk of high legume pastures.
- Robin Tait (R.J Tait Consulting) will discuss observations of a diverse species forage crop grown under irrigation.
- Gordon Refshauge (NSW DPI) will present on weaning management and transitioning onto legume dominant pastures as well as a short session on feed test interpretation.
Legume field days details:
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