Testing Tropicals in the NSW Southern Slopes
Demonstrating the performance of sub-tropical/tropical pasture species in Southern NSW grazing systems
Capacity to Deliver - LP017_L005
The issue
The “Testing Tropicals” project was established in response to increasing summer rainfall in our region and decreased winter rainfall, resulting in a shorter growing season for temperate grasses. It aims to demonstrate the role tropical pastures species can play in southern NSW grazing systems to ensure high quality feed is available throughout the year and decrease dependency on supplementary feeding.
The southern slopes are dominated by winter perennials or annual pastures. There are few perennial species that are currently capable of responding to summer rainfall (except for lucerne which is constrained by soil factors and the need for rotational grazing).
The solution
By producing a greater volume of higher quality feed in late spring, summer and autumn, producers could reduce feeding costs, improve/maintain livestock growth rates over the summer period, and increase the feed base in late autumn moving into winter, better positioning sheep and cattle livestock enterprises.
Holbrook Landcare currently has two Producer Demonstration Sites on farms at Henty and Yerong Creek. Our Yerong Creek site will demonstrate the dry matter production and quality of a Digit grass and Kikuyu mix and the impact on liveweight gain on both merino and cross bred sheep. Our Henty site will exhibit the performance of a 2021 sown Digit grass stand and the role it plays in an angus cattle enterprise on both breeder and weaner weight gains.
The impact
So far, tropical species are proving to be good options for livestock maintenance and pasture growth over the summer period. We look forward to monitoring their impact on different breeds and classes of sheep and cattle over the next 6 years. There will be regular workshops and field visits to the Demo sites so keep an eye on our Upcoming events.
Key facts
- The Season was favourable leading to high dry matter production.