Lucerne a stand-out performer for grazing tolerance
Announcement posted by PGG Wrightson Seeds (Australia) Pty Ltd 16 Aug 2016
PGG Wrightson Seeds Stamina® GT5 has emerged from long testing processes, both locally and internationally, as a standout performer delivering excellent persistency, acceptable winter dormancy, strong pest and disease resistance, and yields equal to the best standard cultivars.
James Sewell, PGG Wrightson Seeds Research and Development Manager, says that there are a lot of lucerne products that claim to be ‘grazing tolerant’ but the fact is not many have been tested under the internationally recognised ‘Standard Test Protocol’ in the same way Stamina GT5 has.
“The results of this rigorous testing, along with the subsequent trials and published literature clearly show that Stamina GT5 is one of the best lucernes for grazing tolerance,” said James.
South-west NSW producers Steve and Genevieve Affleck, turned to Stamina GT5 four years ago to improve their prime lamb production and haven’t looked back.
“What started out as an experiment across five hectares of our property in Wombat, has genuinely paid off,” says Steve.
“We started using Stamina GT5 four years ago when we needed to improve our pastures for persistency and to establish a high tolerance to grazing. Stamina GT5 lucerne has certainly delivered that.”
The husband and wife team run a first cross ewe enterprise with some composites. Running two lambing seasons; in autumn and spring annually meant they needed consistent feed throughout the year.
“Our biggest issue for pasture management is the region’s dry summers and wet winters. Here like most of NSW once the real summer bites a lot of your grasses are just useless. This is when the persistence of Stamina GT5 comes into its own,” says Steve.
“Stamina GT5 has been a great way to help bridge the gap in the feed when other grasses and clovers are not available,” he said.
Initially, Steve and Genevieve trialled dual pasture options on their property. The first, a pure lucerne stand that comprised 5ha of Stamina GT5 lucerne sown in the autumn four years ago. This was sown at 12kg/ha and was primarily for finishing lambs. Another 10ha was sown in 2015, and a further 15ha this year in 2016. The second was a pasture mix incorporating Stamina GT5 lucerne (3kg/ha), sub clover (2kg/ha), tall fescue (3kg/ha) and phalaris (2kg/ha). Steve sowed 10ha in 2015, primarily for his joined ewes and to provide high-quality feed during lambing.
Both pastures were sown using a small air-seeder with a five-inch spacing to keep plant population dense per square metre, and to have a high level of ground cover.
“It’s only a very small spacing but the resulting ground coverage and grazing tolerance in both pasture options have been exceptional,” Steve says.
“We are lucky if we give the stand two weeks’ rest between grazing. It’s still really thick and dense. We wouldn’t have lost more than 2% coverage even after four years of hard grazing and we have had no issues with pests in the pure Stamina GT5 lucerne stand.”
Sheep performance is another area Steve and Genevieve have experienced outstanding results.
Steve said: “On the 5ha of pure Stamina GT5 lucerne stand, we turned off more than 400 lambs in the last year, while the same area carried up to 20 lambs/ha at any one time.”
He added that lambs also gained an extra 2kg of weight and turned off two weeks earlier than lambs that were finished on oats.
“We found that finishing on the Stamina GT5 lucerne actually gets better quality lambs quicker than having them on grazing oats. That’s why we’re pushing now to put so much Stamina GT5 in. It just gives us that flexibility with a quality feed and the sheep perform well on it.”
Steve and Genevieve are also upbeat about hay harvested from the Stamina GT5 lucerne.
“With our last cut we averaged nine five-foot-round bales/ha of excellent quality hay,” said Steve.
“We had just sold the lambs and thought, we’ll lock it up and see what it does. After some timely rain, it took off and we decided to cut it for hay. The sheep eat the lot so it’s beautiful hay, it really is and it retains its leaf really well,” Steve added.
James said: “it’s great to see Steve and Genevieve achieving such excellent yield and quality over the warmer months with Stamina GT5.”
“It demonstrates that maintaining stand density, improved persistence, quality and yield can be achieved in lucerne cultivars that have been selected for grazing tolerant characteristics.”
James explained that unlike Stamina GT5, many cultivars have not been subjected to the standard test protocols under the harsh Australian conditions and as such, producers should be cautious when assessing and purchasing cultivars claiming grazing tolerance.
“If this claim is made, it is strongly recommended that producers request evidence and data to prove that it was run according to the industry standard test protocol,” he said.
For more information on how Stamina GT5 grazing tolerant lucerne can improve your farm grazing productivity and profitability, contact your local PGG Wrightson Seeds Sales Agronomist as listed at www.springpasture.com.au
ENDS.
Media enquiries:
C7EVEN Communications
Adam Arndell
02 6766 4513 / 0403 372 889
adam.arndell@c7even.com.au
James Sewell, PGG Wrightson Seeds Research and Development Manager, says that there are a lot of lucerne products that claim to be ‘grazing tolerant’ but the fact is not many have been tested under the internationally recognised ‘Standard Test Protocol’ in the same way Stamina GT5 has.
“The results of this rigorous testing, along with the subsequent trials and published literature clearly show that Stamina GT5 is one of the best lucernes for grazing tolerance,” said James.
South-west NSW producers Steve and Genevieve Affleck, turned to Stamina GT5 four years ago to improve their prime lamb production and haven’t looked back.
“What started out as an experiment across five hectares of our property in Wombat, has genuinely paid off,” says Steve.
“We started using Stamina GT5 four years ago when we needed to improve our pastures for persistency and to establish a high tolerance to grazing. Stamina GT5 lucerne has certainly delivered that.”
The husband and wife team run a first cross ewe enterprise with some composites. Running two lambing seasons; in autumn and spring annually meant they needed consistent feed throughout the year.
“Our biggest issue for pasture management is the region’s dry summers and wet winters. Here like most of NSW once the real summer bites a lot of your grasses are just useless. This is when the persistence of Stamina GT5 comes into its own,” says Steve.
“Stamina GT5 has been a great way to help bridge the gap in the feed when other grasses and clovers are not available,” he said.
Initially, Steve and Genevieve trialled dual pasture options on their property. The first, a pure lucerne stand that comprised 5ha of Stamina GT5 lucerne sown in the autumn four years ago. This was sown at 12kg/ha and was primarily for finishing lambs. Another 10ha was sown in 2015, and a further 15ha this year in 2016. The second was a pasture mix incorporating Stamina GT5 lucerne (3kg/ha), sub clover (2kg/ha), tall fescue (3kg/ha) and phalaris (2kg/ha). Steve sowed 10ha in 2015, primarily for his joined ewes and to provide high-quality feed during lambing.
Both pastures were sown using a small air-seeder with a five-inch spacing to keep plant population dense per square metre, and to have a high level of ground cover.
“It’s only a very small spacing but the resulting ground coverage and grazing tolerance in both pasture options have been exceptional,” Steve says.
“We are lucky if we give the stand two weeks’ rest between grazing. It’s still really thick and dense. We wouldn’t have lost more than 2% coverage even after four years of hard grazing and we have had no issues with pests in the pure Stamina GT5 lucerne stand.”
Sheep performance is another area Steve and Genevieve have experienced outstanding results.
Steve said: “On the 5ha of pure Stamina GT5 lucerne stand, we turned off more than 400 lambs in the last year, while the same area carried up to 20 lambs/ha at any one time.”
He added that lambs also gained an extra 2kg of weight and turned off two weeks earlier than lambs that were finished on oats.
“We found that finishing on the Stamina GT5 lucerne actually gets better quality lambs quicker than having them on grazing oats. That’s why we’re pushing now to put so much Stamina GT5 in. It just gives us that flexibility with a quality feed and the sheep perform well on it.”
Steve and Genevieve are also upbeat about hay harvested from the Stamina GT5 lucerne.
“With our last cut we averaged nine five-foot-round bales/ha of excellent quality hay,” said Steve.
“We had just sold the lambs and thought, we’ll lock it up and see what it does. After some timely rain, it took off and we decided to cut it for hay. The sheep eat the lot so it’s beautiful hay, it really is and it retains its leaf really well,” Steve added.
James said: “it’s great to see Steve and Genevieve achieving such excellent yield and quality over the warmer months with Stamina GT5.”
“It demonstrates that maintaining stand density, improved persistence, quality and yield can be achieved in lucerne cultivars that have been selected for grazing tolerant characteristics.”
James explained that unlike Stamina GT5, many cultivars have not been subjected to the standard test protocols under the harsh Australian conditions and as such, producers should be cautious when assessing and purchasing cultivars claiming grazing tolerance.
“If this claim is made, it is strongly recommended that producers request evidence and data to prove that it was run according to the industry standard test protocol,” he said.
For more information on how Stamina GT5 grazing tolerant lucerne can improve your farm grazing productivity and profitability, contact your local PGG Wrightson Seeds Sales Agronomist as listed at www.springpasture.com.au
ENDS.
Media enquiries:
C7EVEN Communications
Adam Arndell
02 6766 4513 / 0403 372 889
adam.arndell@c7even.com.au