Increased summer rainfall presents an opportunity for Riverina producers to plant tropical pastures, says a NSW Department of Primary Industries researcher.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Holbrook Landcare Network, supported by Meat & Livestock Australia, this week hosted a Testing Tropical Pastures Field Day at a producer demonstration site, Scotts Angus near Henty.
NSW DPI senior research scientist Suzanne Boschma spoke to The Border Mail about the opportunities to plant tropical pastures, or grasses that grow in summer, after the event.
"There has been an increase in the amount of summer rainfall and the traditional species or pastures that you grow tend to grow in the winter, not over summer, so there's a lost opportunity," she said.
IN OTHER NEWS:
"Adding a tropical grass into the system gives a pasture that can respond to that summer rainfall, to give green feed.
"Traditionally you might have been utilising dry winter growing species or maybe lucerne, which has got issues with low ground cover."
Ms Boschma said though climate change was causing warmer temperatures, it was still realistic for producers to consider sowing tropical pastures due to predicted changed rainfall distribution.
"We have had a couple of really good summers, but if you have a look at the long term rainfall distribution and the rainfall that we've actually been getting over the summer in the last five to 10 years, you're actually getting more summer storms," she said.
"So I think it is actually a realistic option, there's still questions to asked - the right time to sow, species that should be sown ... one of the questions producers are asking is how am I actually going to be able to utilise this? or how does it fit in my system? so we've still got questions, but yes, it's a real option for producers."
NSW DPI project manager Sarah Baker said the pair had been running workshops in the Central West and Riverina, but they'd been surprised at the amount of interest from the people in the Riverina who had tried or were considering trying summer grasses.
"It went really well, our Livestock Productivity Tropical Grass Project has been running for a number of years and we've been really surprised by the amount of interest in the Riverina, in that Holbrook group of producers," she said.
"There was a good turn out of producers and advisors, [and they] really engaged and asked some good questions."
Ms Baker said another benefit of tropical pastures was that they could provide competition for summer weeds and provide good ground cover to prevent soil washing away in storms.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark https://www.bordermail.com.au/
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @bordermail
- Follow us on Instagram @bordermail
- Follow us on Google News