Where to from here? Greg O’Brien & Frank Mickan

Options for next year? Try to get early feed next autumn? Try to produce more winter feed?

Try to get early feed next autumn? Forage cereals Early sown ryegrass Brassicas

Try to get early feed next autumn? Forage Cereals Cereals quick off the mark Can go in earlier & handle false break better than ryegrasses BUT may only get grazings Sowing rate? What % of farm to be sown?

Don’t handle false break as well Produce less feed with late break Produce more feed with good break Try to get early feed next autumn? Early sown ryegrass

Is there a place for the new re-graze types? Good substitute for grain in the diet Maffra experience: Goliath sown mid-Mar and yielded 4t/ha by 26 April and 6 t/ha mid-May (NB ~50 mm irrigation in autumn) Try to get early feed next autumn? Brassicas

Goliath being strip grazed

Try to produce more winter feed? Cereals x2 sowings? Cereal + ryegrass? Plus the usual - Nitrogen - Correct grazing management

Grazing regimes for forages 2006 Grazed ONCE (Mid June ‘06), then closed for silage GS 21-22:Tillering Grazed TWICE (Mid June & Mid August, then closed for silage GS & GS :Stem elongation Final yield as silage GS :Soft Dough Oats What’s the message here?

Triticale Oats What’s the message here? Effect of grazing on winter cereals 2006

Triticale Oats Ryegrass Effect of grazing on winter cereals 2006

Triticale Oats RyegrassWheat Effect of grazing on winter cereals 2006 Early break (April rain)

Effect of grazing on winter cereals 2005 Dictator Progrow G2 G1 SIL Late break (Mid June)

Crackerjack Triticale sowing rates ( kg/ha Sowing rate (kg/ha) Nil Nitrogen at tillering (GS 22), then N at GS 32 & 39 Lack of response to sowing rate may have been due to moisture constraints ?

Where CropDMYieldMECPNDF (Grow RF mm) (%)(kg DM/ha)(MJ/kg (%)(%) 2004/05 DM) Yarram (592)G. Barley 2810, Clyde (407)A. Wheat449, Cowwarr (579)M. Trit.3413, Forage cereals - Soft dough stage Rainfall (Jan - End Nov.), Yields & Qualities 2005/06 B’dale (400) All ~ Clyde (437)G. Barley ~398,230** Clyde* (437) A. Wheat 3810,600** Clyde* (437) A. Wheat 3613, * Clear liquid-early milk ** Sown ~ 2 weeks later than the Higher yielding Amarok

Growth StageDM Yield* ME Crude Protein (kg DM/ha) (MJ/kg DM)(%) Flag leaf/Boot5, Flower/Early head8, Soft dough11, Hard Dough8, , , , , , , ,710* - 11, * To nearest 10 kg/ha Yields and Qualities of Forage Cereal Crops Gippsland 2005 *If 2 low yielding crops out Av. 11, 030

Forage Monitoring points from data Huge variation in yields and qualities (Gippsland) High ME(11.1) at Flag leaf/Boot - lower at Early Flower (8.9) back to reasonable ME (9.3) at hard dough Protein is downhill all the way!( %) Most farms from marginal dairying areas

Cost of cereals (c/kg DM)

Where’s he gone?

Crops from left field? Lucernes - Acid soil tolerant variety on way - SW Partner Farm experiences (grows over summer for autumn bank of feed; this dry spring growing at 40 cw <10 for prg)

More shoulder feed Spring or autumn sowing? Is there a place for mixes? Brassicas, herbs & grasses

Summer crop Dead Chicory Plantain Italian Ryegrass Clover (Red & White) Weeds Summer forage crops established in SPRING THEN Direct drilled with Italian Ryegrass & herb/clover mix in AUTUMN Turnip Rape Radish Turnip-rape Millet

Summer crop Chicory Dead PlantainItalian Ryegrass CloverWeeds Summer forage crops established in SPRING with herb/clover mix THEN Direct drilled with Italian Ryegrass in AUTUMN

What would you like modelled? Cereal/rye (early v late break; % farm?) brassica (feed flow issues, sensitivity to yield?) lucerne (whole farm economics) herb plus mixes (feed flow, whole farm economics?)

Effect of grazing prior to G2 (15th. Aug. 2006)

DMMECPNDF (%)(MJ)(%)(%) Cereal Silage(74) Cereal Hay (2385) Range Range FEEDTEST 1/8/05 - 8/2/06) Cereal Silages & Hays

Cereal studies – Grazing options 8 crops sown (5 April 2005) 2 oats – Enterprise, Taipan 2 wheats – Wedgetail, McKellar 2 triticales – Crackerjack, Jackie 1 barley - Dictator 1 ARG - Progrow 3 Grazing options – Graze once (G1), twice (G2) or silage only (SIL) Grazed – 27 June (G1), 12 August (G2) Silage as per N trial

Soil fertility (0-10 cm) pH – 6.0 (water) Olsen P - 20 mg/kg Available k – 280 mg/kg CPC S - 35 mg/kg At sowing – 80 kg TSP/ha After rolling 500 kg 3&1/ha After first grazing – 100 kg Urea/ha After second grazing – 125 kg Urea/ha

First Grazing

Effect of grazing on winter cereals 2005 Grazing 1 Grazing 2 Final yield

Grazing 1 Effect of grazing on winter cereals 2005

Grazing 2 Effect of grazing on winter cereals 2005

Final yield NO grazing plots Effect of grazing on winter cereals 2005

Final yield for all plots Effect of grazing on winter cereals 2005

Effect of grazing on ME content

Effect of grazing on CP content

To investigate the potential of novel crops To investigate regional variations due to soil type, rainfall, etc. To provide insights for farmers and advisors To add depth to Management Info Packages To expose knowledge gaps Why?

What is being recorded? Physical growing conditions Soil type, rainfall, type of seedbed, etc. Sowing details Seed bed preparation, s eeding rate & depth, equipment used, fertilisers Management during growth & harvest F Fert’s, weeds, pest & disease control, grazing, etc. Management & Systems issues Labour, effects on farming system, ease & reliability of growing, attitude to risk, etc.

Other Farms Data collected 2005 RegionNo. No. Farmssamples North East44 South West46 Gippsland742

Triticale & Barley susceptible to army worms Wheat slower than Trit. but stronger heads If going for grain - high winds can cause grain drop - lighter yields Better as WCS - higher all round yield and quality - quicker out of ground Now know that Ryegrass is a problem due to moisture competition, especially in marginal areas Forage Monitoring: Farmer comments Wayne Bowden

Straw is an issue if grain harvested Amarok wheat resistant to rust - Gairdner Barley required fungicide, Amarok did not Probably going to RAISED BEDDING system Getting 5t/Ha grain yields but believes 7 - 8t/Ha is achievable Marshall Baillieu Forage Monitoring: Farmer comments

Using raised beds after very heavy rains 1 year - cost ~$150/ha to install - grazing knocks beds around Thinks grazing reduces yields by ~ % Will look at undersowing vs. oversowing after cereal already sown. Eg. Arrowleaf clover Red winter wheats tiller to compensate low seed rate Trevor Caithness Forage Monitoring: Farmer comments

Playing around with chook manure (+lime, gypsum, fertilisers, etc.) Gets a K response despite satisfactory soil test UK visit t/ha grain yields (Vs 3 - 5t/ha) - UK grain:straw is ~1:1, vs ~1:2 in Aust. - Fungicide usage kept green leaves to the base vs 3 green leaves at the top only - Fungicide usage is preventative, Aust. is reactive Trevor Caithness Forage Monitoring: Farmer comments

Crops & Pastures/Hay & Silage/….. Animals & Livestock/Dairy/Crops & Pastures for Dairying Areas/...

Crops & Pastures/Grasses/….. Animals & Livestock/Dairy/Crops & Pastures for Dairying Areas/…...

Crops & Pastures/Cereals/Forage Cereals/….. Animals & Livestock/Dairy/Crops & Pastures for Dairying Areas/…...

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Wait. There’s MORE! Cocksfoot/Phalaris Cultivars & Species Establishment Growing Grazing Management Forage Cereals/Establishment/.. Weeds, pests & disease Summer Crops Maize Brassicas Sorghums Millets, etc. Cultivars & Species Establishment Growing Etc

Not a normal year! Low quantities of home grown feed High prices for purchased feeds Low availability of purchased feeds

Crackerjack Triticale sowing rates ( kg/ha Sowing rate (kg/ha) Nil Nitrogen at tillering (GS 22) then N at GS 32 & 39

Crackerjack Triticale sowing rates ( kg/ha Sowing rate (kg/ha) Nitrogen at tillering (GS 22), then N at GS 32 & 39

Conserve more fodder next spring? Forage cereals cw Ryegrasses Effect of grazing on silage yield - Decision needs to be made in winter Timing of silage harvest affects yield and quality Implications for follow up crops