Grasslands Tasmania Pre- Conference Bus Tour – 8th July , 2010.
The Grasslands Society of Southern Australia (Tasmanian Branch) conducted a bus tour in the northwest of Tasmania , as a precursor to our annual conference. We visited a trial site of short term and perennial ryegrasses , run by Wrightson Seeds Australia , before inspecting a wind turbine installed on a local chicken producers property , and concluding with a farm walk on a local mixed farming operation.
Our first visit was an inspection of the trial site conducted by Wrightson Seeds , where we inspected replicates of 19 commercially available annual/Italian ryegrasses, and replicates of 18 commercially available perennial ryegrasses. We were asked to inspect each of the plots to determine persistence, productivity and growth habits. We were also asked to see which cultivars needed self regeneration to persist, by producing seed each summer and allowing to fall. These questions were asked before having product names revealed , so that those attending could make their own informed decisions before being” persuaded” by brand names. This was a very positive response from the farmers attending and very thought provoking as to how they came to make decisions on their own farm with regard to choosing which cultivar to sow.
Our second visit of the day was to Nichols Poultry , where Rob Nichols gave us a quick overview of why he has erected a wind turbine on his farm. The reason behind this is to become self sufficient for power supply , and not having downtimes if a power outage occurs. Rob told the group that his 250kW turbine can produce the majority of his daily power requirements , and any excess may be “loaned” to the power grid. If power generation is lower in proceeding days , he can claim this “loaned” power back to utilise on farm. Any excess above this can also be sold to the power provider. He informed the group that the cost of the turbine , can be recovered within 5 years , and the turbine should have an operating life of at least 15 years.
Our major visit for the day was to “Wisedale Pastoral” , where Beau Gooch gave an overview of his operation before allowing the group to walk the paddocks and discuss his grazing management techniques. “Wisedale” covers 2000ha , of which 400ha is improved pasture and another 400ha of “bush run country”. “Wisedale” also produces seed potatoes and grows Opium poppies. Previously , the main livestock focus was on wool merinos , with some lamb fattening . Recently , Beau decided to concentrate on the beef market , and sold the majority of the sheep from the farm. He now runs up to 1000 head of Angus cattle on his property , and leases the property back off his parents. He has a strong focus , because of the lease arrangement , on returning more profit per hectare.
When deciding to concentrate on the cattle grazing operation , Beau inspected numerous operations throughout Tasmania and the mainland , to design a system that would suits his needs and labour availability. He inspected various cell grazing and techno grazing operations before deciding to refence his farm into blocks 200m wide , with varying lengths. He now runs two electric wires across the paddock ( both front and back of grazing area) and allows the cattle to graze for a period of three days in each “block”. He has calculated that this method allows him to best utilise the feed available on a rotation basis , basing grazing times on the leaf stage of the grasses in the pasture. This has allowed him to maximise production of each paddock , allowing for adequate recovery time, and increased both DM production and liveweight gains of the cattle.
One key aspect to Beau’s operation , is the reduction in chemical usage on farm. Traditionally , “Wisedale” has had a large population of thistles and other troublesome broadleaf weeds. Paddocks are generally sprayed with a broadleaf herbicide following planting , and then grazing management is used as the primary tool for weed control. Beau allows pasture to maintain ground cover to reduce the opportunities for broadleaf weeds to germinate and gain exposure in the pasture.
The farmers and consultants who were able to attend the day have said that it was a successful day , and we will be looking to do similar tours , as a biennial event , prior to our annual conference.
Annual Conference 2010
North West Pre Conference Tour
Itinerary
8.30am ~ Leave from Longford (@ Bus Depot)
9:00am ~ Pick up at Westbury (@ Andy’s)
9:30 to 10:00am ~ Inspect Sassafras trial site at Rod Layton’s
10:15 to 11:00am ~ Nichols Poultry overview with Robert Nichols
11:30am to 12:30pm ~ Lunch at Wisedale
12:30 to 2:30 ~ Farm walk at Wisedale with Beau Gooch
4:00pm ~ Return to Deloraine
Farm Shelter Belts: How to achieve success (Private Forestry Tasmania).
Getting more Productivity/Profit per hectare.
What animal need and how to achieve suiccess(Dr Glen Judson - PGG)
Nufarm Grassmanship Program (Phil Jobling - Nufarm)
IPM – Paul Horne of IPM Technologies to explain how IPM can be utilised in grazing systems and what tolerance levels we should use, what impacts insects have on grasslands and the possible integration with vegie crops (avoiding crossover pests from the pasture phase).
(Paul Horne - IPM Technologies)
Woolnorth: From bad to good. How they turned a struggling enterprise into a highly successful bullock business with a major focus on animal performance and health. (Nicola Morris)
Farmers Forum
• James Walker
• Grant Archer
Cost is $60 for members and $80 for non members
For further information or to RSVP, contact Sarah Campbell (Secretary) on 0417 574 307 or
Here is a unique opportunity to test the quality of your silage to ensure top quality feed for your stock and to know if you need to make improvments for this years harvest, as well as maybe winning a prize
The Tasmania branch would like to invite you to test your silage and enter the competition - lets find out how good the silage out there really is
Silage Competition
There is a huge range in the quality of silage produced on farms. If you are going to the make silage you should aim to make it the best quality possible. So the Tasmania branch are hosting a Silage Quality competition to see what is possible.
Why not test your silage this year, you may be surprised
Test the quality of your silage, fill in the entry form to go into the draw to win
Prizes
Major prize winner will receive $ 1000 worth of product courtesy of Integrated Packaging
Members prize winner will receive 1 tonne of fertiliser , and free soil test. Fertiliser will be determined by soil test results
Entries Close 31st March 2010
Download the entry form here
For further Information contact the Tas committee member below